Transforming the auditorium of Howe Elementary School into an Etsy-style holiday pop-up shop is no easy task. Just ask Jen Webler, who for the past three years has chaired Howe’s holiday shopping event: Howe’s About a Gift.
Webler spends months preparing — requesting donations of craft supplies, organizational skills, crafting expertise and volunteered time — all for the purpose of giving back to her neighborhood elementary school.
Howe’s About a Gift is a student-centered, holiday-themed shopping event that takes place during the school day. Supervised by teachers and parent volunteers, students are encouraged to bring a list of those they are shopping for — a list that often includes family, friends, teachers and even pets. Teachers are allotted a specific time slot for their students to go in and shop where they are guided through the process by volunteers. This gives each student the opportunity to “practice their math and accounting skills and still shop authentically for their loved ones,” Webler said. Filled with an abundance of handmade gifts and some carefully selected vendor items, the holiday shop is an event that students and teachers look forward to each year.
A former Mt. Lebanon student herself, Webler remembers shopping handmade goods at Howe back in the 80s. Today, she fills multiple rooms in her house with boxes of crafts and art supplies. For Webler this event holds more than just fond childhood memories — it is a way to bring the community together.
“While the shop itself is rewarding, my favorite part might be the various crafting sessions (prior to the event) where parents in the community can gather and socialize,” Webler said. Holding six volunteer crafting sessions during and after school hours, with more than 40 crafty volunteers, it is still not enough to produce all the items necessary for the event. Webler recruited parents to craft at home on their own time, donate supplies and carefully package items for purchase.
During a morning crafting session, Webler’s kitchen table is purposefully organized with crafting stations, each one with an eager volunteer ready to create. As Webler and other Howe parent volunteers assemble goods, they chat about the upcoming event, their favorite crafts this year, and memorable trinkets from years past.
“Last year I just thought Howe’s About a Gift was so cute,” said Jennifer Feyrer, who is the co-chair for another Howe event, The Sunny Funny Fair. “It was my first year as a Howe parent and I was just amazed at the work put into this event. I was so impressed that I wanted to help out this year.”
Each crafter had a story to tell about their experiences and favorite gifts from past shops. Kalie Tomiczek knew hers instantly, “We loved the playing card holder from last year! They are so adorable and helpful,” said Tomiczek. “When you have little hands that have a harder time holding cards when playing a card game, they are great to have on hand. We use them every time we play a card game!”
Amy Grella, a volunteer with two children at Howe and Mellon, explained that Howe’s About a Gift was on hiatus for several years, but was missed by the community. In 2021, Katie Graybill brought the event back to life with handmade items, instead of the previous focus on store-bought items.
“Each year we saw more and more handmade gifts as we learned what was successful and what volunteers were interested in making,” Graybill said. “Kids, families, and the teachers loved the change, and it provided opportunities for more volunteers to get involved.”
In 2023, Webler took over and turned it in to the event that it is today. “Jen [Webler] has a skill set at making any event exponentially better,” said Grella.
Webler helped streamline the process for families by sending home catalogs featuring some of the available items, which prepares kids for what to expect day-of.
Volunteer Julie Gaetano, who has three children in the district, drilled holes in brick charms for chain necklaces for this year’s craft, as she recalled the most recent shop experience with her younger son. “We spent an hour plotting each item for each person and planning how it fit into his budget. It was fun for us to make a list and check it twice. Making a budget is always a good thing to do with my kids too. The take home catalog helps with that because it allows you to plan gifts ahead of time.”
“A big seller every year is the cone of hot chocolate. I think the kids even love to buy it for themselves,” said Webler’s mom, Linda, who donates her time and crafting skills to the cause.
With more than seventy-five eager volunteers, and excited children ready to shop, the event creates holiday joy for everyone involved.
Howe’s About a Gift Holiday Shop is open December 4 and 5 during class times and lunch.
After-hours shopping is available for community members with children, and an online catalog is open for about a week after the event to make sure everyone has an opportunity to join in the fun! For more info, contact Jen Webler at holidayshop@howepta.org [1].