Marsha, a 30-year-old nursing student from Lawrence, will definitely pay it forward when she graduates in 2011.
"I'll be donating to the Salvation Army," she said.
Until then, the single mom of three children will rely on the Santa Fund to help get through the holidays. Although she works as a nurse's assistant at a local hospital, it's not enough to give her kids, ages 10, 7, and 4, the kind of Christmas she wants them to have.
Her 4-year-old daughter, Isabelle, loves Barbies.
She says she gets help from her family, but it can be tough to juggle the responsibilities of her job and her schoolwork on top of being a mom to three young kids.
"That is intense," she said, as she waited to submit her name for vouchers to Market Basket and Kmart from the Santa Fund. "It gets pretty crazy. Usually I don't end up doing my homework until they go to bed."
Still, she thinks the hard work will be worth it in a few years' time. Marsha can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and keeps up the intense schedule for the sake of her kids. She struggles to work paycheck to paycheck and hopes to give her children a better life someday.
"I wanted to give my kids something better than always saying, 'I can't,'" she said.
She wants to thank the Santa Fund donors, too. "Because they make a difference," she said. "They help a lot. Because of their donation, someone will have a nice meal."
