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JAMESTOWN - The gifts have been given, the party thrown. For the 14th year in a row, Christmas will be a little bit better for Edna's Kids.

Maybe now Ednalyn Hurley will get a breather. Maybe she'll take some holiday time for just herself.

Maybe. But don't bet on it.

Odds are, she's already thinking about Christmas 2009 and the next Edna's Kids Christmas Drive. Since founding the program in 1994, hundreds of children of financially strapped GTCC students have received toys, clothing and food to make the season bright.

And it all started with a GTCC student's essay in an English class.

"This student was a single parent who wrote a paper about how difficult (Christmas) was when you have a lack of resources," said Hurley, a health counselor at GTCC and coordinator of the college's Single Parent Support Group.

The paper prompted Hurley to survey single parents on campus with a simple question: Who needs help on Christmas?

"When I first started, it was just a project," Hurley said. "But each year, more and more students came to me. ... The school has really supported it, from the president to the cleaning staff. Every year, the whole campus has rallied around this cause."

Hurley screens the applicants. To qualify, they must be low-income, single parents who are enrolled at GTCC and who have primary custody of their children.

"It's always been at least 30 kids, and most years it's between 30 and 50," Hurley said. "Two years ago, there were about 100 kids, and we were able to take care of them all."

Parents fill out seven-item wish lists for each child. Hurley uses donated money to shop for the items. Sometimes, a donor will come by her office, pick up a list and do the shopping for her.

Susan Barbitta, a teacher at GTCC with three grown children of her own, is one such donor.

"I really believe in the whole pay-it-forward mentality," Barbitta said. "Everybody needs help at some point in their life, and I'm in a position right now where I can help. It's not a lot, but to some people it means everything."

Barbitta's reward?

"Knowing that a child will be excited on Christmas morning," Barbitta said. "I'm not changing anybody's life, but I am changing Christmas morning."

Cindy Romero-Martins' two daughters were among 36 kids to get Christmas packages from the program this year.

"Miss Hurley is great," said Romero-Martins, a second-year GTCC student studying psychology. "She cares so much about people, especially her students. She's blessed."

Hurley said the program accepts monetary donations year-round. The campaign cranks into high gear every October, and she carves out time to shop in November.

"I do enjoy the shopping, but it's work," Hurley said. "Work is work, no matter how you look at it. At the end of the day, you've spent three hours on your feet, you load everything up and then you hurry back to your office and the regular job you're already behind on. It can be exhausting.

"But it's worth it to make Christmas better for a child."

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com