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Goodfellows: Single mom of 3 hopes for nice Christmas
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Erica Woods poses by the Christmas tree with her children, from left, Jose Baldino, 6; Airyona Baldino, 7, and Carlos Baldino, 5.
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Erica Woods' three children, Airyona, Jose and Carlos Baldino, were scattered around her Braddock living room Wednesday night, chattering, dancing and eating Little Debbie Nutty Bars.
Then, they started singing.
One of the boys would start, and the other two would join in. They sang songs ranging from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" to "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel."
"The only time they're quiet and still is when they're asleep," Ms. Woods said.
Ms. Woods is busy. She's a single mom who works full time as a certified nursing assistant and also is studying occupational therapy at the Community College of Allegheny County.
She receives help from the Family Care Connection Center in Braddock, part of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
The Braddock center is one of six that provide various resources to ensure that families have the things they need, from child development help to parenting education.
"If you have something you need, they'll find the resources that fit your need," Ms. Woods said.
This evening, Ms. Woods and her children will attend the center's Santa's Workshop. Toys donated by the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program will be sorted by age and distributed among several rooms. Parents can enjoy refreshments while every child chooses two or three toys and gets his or her picture taken with Santa.
"It helps me a lot," Ms. Woods said of Toys for Tots. "The things I can't buy, they bless me with."
Jose, 6, said he wants Thomas the Tank Engine toys for Christmas. He loves the toy trains so much, Ms. Woods said she "should've named him Thomas."
Jose also said, through a gappy smile, that he would like teeth for Christmas.
Airyona, 7, said she wants Monster High dolls, which are Barbie-esque dolls modeled after popular monsters -- "Frankie Stein" and "Ghoulia Yelps."
Carlos, 5, said he wants Mickey Mouse toys.
Ms. Woods lamented that she used to buy the children "Sesame Street" toys, but now they've outgrown Big Bird and Elmo and moved on to older children's toys.
She and her children will spend Sunday in their church, Elijah Ministries in McKeesport, where they will hand out candy-filled plastic candy canes to other children "because it's better to give than to receive," Ms. Woods said.
In that spirit, we hope that you will make a donation to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Goodfellows Fund, which supports Toys for Tots, because no child should wake up on Christmas morning without a gift under the tree. Make a tax-deductible contribution to the Goodfellows Fund by using the coupon elsewhere in the newspaper or online at www.post-gazette.com/goodfellows.
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First Published December 20, 2012 12:00 am
