Nonprofit Christmas Store Supports Building a Park on the South Side of Town

By Misty Cryer

Christmas shopping is well underway, and it’s a perfect time to check out Madison’s Christmas Store. All proceeds from the Christmas Store go toward the construction of Madison’s Park on the south side of town in memory of Madison Lee, and shoppers could win a weeklong, family-friendly vacation!

Madison’s Christmas Store is in one of the Kt Homes model homes at 3816 N. Pat Garrett Drive in the Oasis Subdivision. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. For every $50 spent at the Christmas Store, the shopper is entered into the giveaway drawing for lodging at an eight-bedroom/five-bath luxurious retreat near Disney World.

“Madison Lee was 14 months old when she drowned,” said Sheila Walterscheid, Madison’s grandmother. “She loved to chase the butterflies, so Madison’s logo is a butterfly,” she said.

The Christmas store was established to raise money and awareness for Madison’s Park. “We are raising funds to put it in Oasis Subdivision,” said Walterscheid. The park is being built using funds raised through the Madison Lee Memorial Fund, a 503(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization.

The Christmas store carries gifts for men, women, and children, along with Christmas and home décor and hard-to-get items. “The first room is Barbie —everything in pink—it screams a girlfriend. The first bathroom is in Santa Clauses. The next room is actually your everyday, quick gifts,” said Walterscheid. She mentioned items such as kitchen towels, knives, cutting boards, containers, ice cream scoops, jellies, popcorn, pizza cutters, candles, plush animals, rustic items, Christmas ornaments, and snow globes.

“Remember the old metal Tonka trucks that they used to have and the graders and stuff?” Walterscheid asked. “I actually have them here,” she said, emphasizing they are metal, not plastic. She added that many of the store’s items are American-made. “I truly think that is something to be proud of.”

“There is not really a park on the south side of town,” Walterscheid said. “This park will benefit so many people; it is a park for people on the south side of town. We will have two bathrooms here. We will have an area where they can have a birthday party; we will have benches around the park. It will mimic what the city has done downtown,” she said.

“Kids need to play outside. There’s nothing sweeter in this world than to hear a child’s laughter,” said Walterscheid.

Park development is divided into three phases, she said, adding that Phase I will come close to $1 million. “Two years ago, when we did the Christmas store, we were able to have enough money to bring in some dirt; we were able to plant trees, see the grass. We were able to put in the sprinklers to water the trees and to also water the grass. We got the main valve pump to be able to run all of that,” she said. “We are planning to do one or two fundraisers this year, hoping that will give us the money to start the process of getting the equipment.”

The fundraising for the park includes benches that can be purchased as a memorial, in honor of someone, or from an organization that wants to be recognized, much like the benches down by the river, Walterscheid said. Tax-deductible donations to the park project can be made through the website (https://madisonleememorial.com). To purchase a bench, call Sheila Walterscheid at 575-361-6302.