Bessie Zemmer grinned as she peeled back a sheet of golden wrapping paper to reveal two big bags of candy.

“Look what I got!” she hollered.

The goodies took their place beside Zemmer’s other treasures on a table littered with wrapping paper in a common area of the Blue Mountain Care Center on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

The big, sunny room at the Prairie City nursing home, decked out for the holidays with a Christmas tree and seasonal décor, was filled with happy chaos as elderly residents opened gifts, munched on finger food and chatted with staff members, visiting relatives and community volunteers.

It’s an annual event at the facility, although it was a bit more subdued the past few years, when precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic limited visitors.

“I used to come here a lot before COVID,” said volunteer Jeanette Julsrud, who was helping Zemmer with her gifts and keeping her company. “This is really nice to be able to come back and do this with the residents.”

Over by the Christmas tree, Francis and Bonnie Kocis had stationed themselves next to Jeanette Kile.

“We go to Redeemer Lutheran Church together,” Bonnie said. “Jeanette was here by herself, so I sat with her and I’m helping her open her presents.”

There were plenty of presents to open. Each resident got some personal toiletries, new sheets for their bed and a new towel and washcloth, plus a few other items such as chocolates, soda, snack food or clothing, based on their personal needs and preferences. (Most of Zemmer’s presents were purple, because that’s her favorite color.)

The presents are courtesy of the Carrie Young Memorial Foundation, named for a former Prairie City resident who died in a car crash a little over three decades ago at the age of 32. Young had worked at the nursing home, and after her passing her family learned that she had been quietly buying Christmas presents for some of the residents. To honor her memory, they decided to carry on her legacy of kindness.

The effort started in 1993, when Young’s sister, Lucie Immoos, collected around $50 in donations from fellow employees in the Forest Service office where she worked. The idea caught on with Grant County residents and grew to include an annual spaghetti feed and auction at the John Day Elks Lodge that now attracts hundreds of people each December.

Immoos continues to spearhead the campaign, with help from family members and a strong corps of dedicated volunteers. Last year’s fundraising efforts brought in $88,000, a new record. More than $75,000 has come in so far this year, Immoos told the newspaper, but the tally is not yet final.

The money goes to support Grant County seniors in a variety of ways. Every resident at all of Grant County’s senior care facilities, not just Blue Mountain, gets a similar assortment of gifts.

Vulnerable seniors living independently around the county get taken care of too, with loads of firewood or heating oil deliveries and gift cards they can redeem for groceries. This year, an elderly woman with cancer got help with her medical bills and related expenses.

For longtime residents of Blue Mountain Care Center, the annual party is something to look forward to. Marilyn Randall, who’s been at Blue Mountain for eight years, wore a pair of toy reindeer antlers and a big smile as she tore open her presents.

Her daughter, Ruthie Moore, was smiling too as she sat with her mother.

“This is a great thing,” Moore said. “We’re very appreciative of Lucie and her program.”

Some of the center’s new residents were enjoying themselves as well.

“It’s pretty good, isn’t it?” marveled Julia Keeney, who said all her family and friends live clear across the state in Eugene. “Everybody got a heap of gifts. That’s pretty cool.”

Across the way, another new resident, Sandra Burns, was opening her presents, including some warm clothes, which she said she really needed.

“When I came here it was summer, and I just had summer clothes,” she explained. “Then it started getting cold.”

Sitting beside her was her daughter, Donna Rae Kriese, who came over from Prineville for a visit.

“This is a great, great event,” she said, adding that she had a personal connection to the Christmas party that went back to long before her mother moved into Blue Mountain.

“I went to school with Carrie Young,” Kriese said. “We roomed together in college.”

In another part of the room, Immoos was taking in the scene. She said she tries to attend the Blue Mountain Care Center Christmas party every year.

“It’s kind of fun to see them get their gifts,” she said.

“This makes it worth all the work.”

How to help

The Carrie Young Memorial Dinner and Auction is always in need of auction and raffle items as well as cash to support its charitable activities. Organizers are also on the lookout for elderly Grant County residents who may need help. To make a donation or to request assistance for a senior citizen in need, call Lucie Immoos at 541-620-2098.