It's a wrap

Once gifts are purchased, they have to be wrapped. The Developmental Center of the Ozarks provides that service and raises funds in its gift-wrap booth at Battlefield Mall. Gifts don’t have to be purchased at the mall to be wrapped there, said Marci Bowling, development/public relations director for DCO. The booth is located at the mall’s east entrance.

“This is our 29th year for the gift wrap booth,” Bowling said. “We started out with a card table and one or two jewelry rolls of paper with one or two volunteers. Today we have around eight volunteers for three shifts a day – 24 volunteers a day for 24 days, 16 different kinds of paper, two or three different bags and seven different ribbons.” Sponsors help support the costs of running the booth. Most gifts can be wrapped for $2 to $10, Bowling added.

The booth is open during mall hours Dec. 1–Dec. 24. “The exposure we receive by having a presence at the mall is incredible,” said Bowling. “We are able to meet members of the community we might never have met, sign up new volunteers and talk with current and past families served. We are fortunate to be able to air our annual video, which gives people a real picture into DCO’s services.”

DCO serves infants, children and adults who are developmentally disabled, developmentally delayed or physically disabled, through a variety of therapeutic, educational, habilitative and rehabilitative programs, as well as individuals who are not. The programs are designed to promote personal growth and development of the necessary skills to live in the least restrictive environment possible, Bowling said. Each day DCO serves more than 500 infants, children and adults from 11 counties through programs in Greene, Christian and Taney counties. For more information call 417-829-0896.

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