How Newbridge helps a little Latvian miracle

A QUARTÉR of a century ago in Latvia, where the temperature ranges from zero to -30ºC at this time, in that dying winter of the 20th century a young family of five lost everything when an electrical fault saw their home burn to the ground.

Desperate, the family moved to a former Soviet farmer’s cottage in the countryside to start again, only for a second fire which forced the family into one room in grandma’s house – which didn’t even have running water at the time.

Despite everything, the parents did what they could to try and make Christmas special for their three children, if only giving a small gift or a few sweets.

Then, out of nowhere, three shoeboxes full of gifts and goodies found their way miraculously to the Straume family’s third address that year.

“My brother was mad at me because I took the wrong box at first,” said Signe Straume, now herself a mother.

“There were crayons, and markers, and a teddy bear, but I specifically remember the candy canes, because we never saw anything like that in Latvia before,” said Signe.

“They came from Philadelphia, USA, and we tried to write a letter, but there was no response and it was returned, but my mother still has that card,” she said.

Then, 15 years later in 2014 Signe and her husband Marcin move to Newbridge where they live since in Moorefield Drive, when she saw posters in a window for the Christmas Shoebox Appeal.

(The Shoebox Appeal was started in 1990 in north Wales by a man called Dave Cooke who was shocked at the plight of the Romanian Orphanages he had seen on TV. Nowadays, the present Appeal in Ireland is run by Team Hope who have provided 2.5m shoeboxes to kids in eight African and five European countries since 2010.) “Straight away I remembered the candy canes in the one I got, so I started getting involved,” she said.

Signe started by putting together 10 boxes per gender each year, and now is able to double that on her own, but not satisfied, she got her family involved.

“My mother Inga has knitted over 250 teddy bears, and probably 170 hats by now,” said the gelato barista from Gino’s in the Whitewater.

Her daughter Nicole (9) – 3rd class in St Conleth’s and St Mary’s NS - has also got involved in helping with the Shoebox Appeal with her mam and granny, in what has proved to be her second exercise of her social conscience around Newbridge.

“Oh, she’s been in the papers before,” smiled Signe.

“She was helping Annie Morris with the yarn bombing for JuneFest,” she revealed.

This Christmas will be Signe’s 4th year as a Team Hope volunteer to help pack Shoeboxes in the Newbridge checking centre.

“This year we’re in a place opposite the Garda Station, but we change every year to somewhere that’s empty for a few weeks,” she said.

“There are 50 centres all over Ireland, it’s a big, big thing.

“I know exactly how those kids feel,” Signe says.

“The impact of one box — you remember it your whole life. It’s a blessing to be able to help.” “This year, me, mam and my husband [Marcin] brought a van full of fillers, which would be something to wear, to write with, toys, hair accessories for the girls,” she explained.

“However, no liquids, or chocolates, biscuits or crisps [which go to the Newbridge Dining Room].

“The liquids can spill, the chocolate will melt in Africa, and the biscuits and crisps by the time they get there are literally powder in bags.

“But there’s loads of jellies, lolly pops, boiled sweets, stuff that doesn’t melt!

“Nicole is a big help with the boxes, my sister in Latvia is knitting hats and scarves and sending them here, I don’t know if I would be able to help without my family.

“I don’t need any thanks, I do it for the kids – same as my mam, my husband, and my daughter. She loves coming to the checking Centre, loves to get inspiration from the boxes, to see what we can put in them next year. I think I will always have a soft spot for the kids – to know the joy those boxes bring - because I can still remember the joy that single box brought me. It is our pleasure to do it,” she concluded.

While the deadline for dropping off shoeboxes has now passed, you have plenty of time - right up until 23 December - to build a shoebox online at teamhope.ie for delivery in time for Christmas.