Every family adopted during the Community Partnership for Child Development/Head Start holiday program has a story. Ginny Biggie learned 27 of those stories this year, and many of them bring tears to her eyes.

Biggie has served on the board of CPCD Head Start and still serves on some of the organization’s committees. The 81-year-old has made it her mission to adopt families during the holidays and organize the gift-giving drive for the Cheyenne Mountain Newcomers Club. This year, the newcomers club — also not just for newcomers — combined efforts with other Cheyenne Mountain organizations, businesses and donors to provide gifts for 27 families.

CPCD launches its Adopt-A-Family efforts each November. This is the program’s 21st year, and CPCD reported nearly 200 families in need were matched with local businesses, groups and individuals. Gifts were delivered to CPCD on Dec. 8, and the adopted families picked them up Dec. 10.

“It’s a very special day at CPCD, as we watch our community help hundreds of low-income children and families that are really struggling,” said Noreen Landis-Tyson, CEO of CPCD. For many families, this will be the first year they will have a Christmas tree.

Donors are connected to the families through an website where each family profile is posted. Details often include living status — homeless, multiple moves, single-parent homes — and challenging family situations, like the deployment of a family member or death of a parent.

“When I read the profiles of the families, it just touches your heart,” Biggie said. “They list the items they need … warm socks, pots and pans. One soldier who is going to be deployed in January asked for a gift card to take his wife to dinner before he leaves.”

Before soldiers from Fort Carson arrived at the Biggie home near Broadmoor Valley Road to load up four CPCD buses with the gifts Biggie had organized, she reflected on what her connection to the Adopt-A-Family program has meant to her late husband, Ted, and her.

Ted died in May, but through her grief, Ginny has remained committed in her efforts to help others. This year, CPCD will dedicate the Adopt-a-Family program to Ginny and Ted Biggie in thanks for their more than a decade of dedication to the program.

“For over 10 years, Ted and Ginny have adopted hundreds of CPCD families, helping those most in need in our community,” Landis-Tyson said. “Adopt-A-Family is a special program made better by their extraordinary support and commitment. It made sense to dedicate this year’s program to Ted Biggie’s legacy.”

Ginny sends credit right back to her community. “The members of the newcomers club, UMB bank, a group from the dog park, so many people help me,” she said.

“There are shopping elves and wrapping elves.”

Ginny said she appreciates the way that the Adopt-A-Family program is managed and that she can read why a particular family was nominated by a CPCD Head Start staff member. The families each list needs and wants, and Ginny said most of the people in her circle of volunteers who adopted families this year provide all the items on both lists.

And then there are the bicycles.

Aside from the bags and bags of gifts for the families that encircled the living area of Ginny’s home this month, in her garage sat nearly a dozen bicycles. She stood among them for a few minutes wistfully recalling how in years past, Ted would assess each donated bicycle and make sure it was in top shape for the child who would receive it.

“Ted would go get new tires if they needed them and he would make sure the bicycles were sound and brakes were working. He would assemble them if they weren’t put together. And he would make sure there was a helmet to go along with each of them,” Ginny said.

She emphasized how fortunate the Colorado Springs community is to have the services of CPCD/Head Start all year, but especially this program at Christmas time. She is concerned that although she doesn’t want to stop being involved, she hopes someone will carry this project forward in her community in the coming years.

Ginny Biggie, Cheyenne Mountain-area resident and member of the Cheyenne Mountain Newcomers Club, has been instrumental to making the CPCD Head Start Adopt-A-Family program a success for more than 10 years. She is standing in her garage among the many bicycles that were donated this year. Photo by Nanette Anderson