KELLY FARRELL / Staff

Island youth are getting in the holiday spirit. Sixth graders Nick Dotson and Jeff Leonia design Christmas ornaments in their Marco Island Charter Middle School art class. Students are entering their designs to Christmas Island Style and the winners will receive awards at the Christmas tree lighting Dec. 6 at Veterans' Community Park. The students' designs will be used for Christmas Island Style's 2009 ornaments.

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MARCO ISLAND — Whether stuffing shoeboxes for children in need or designing ornaments for the community’s holiday celebration, Island youth seem to be in the Christmas spirit.

The Nantz family of Marco Island worked together to create shoeboxes filled with gifts to give to children in need, perhaps going as far as the other side of the world.

The Nantz’s are among hundreds of Marco community members filling shoeboxes with small toys, school supplies, shoes, clothing and other items.

Paul Flores of Marco Presbyterian Church is coordinating the collection of the boxes on Marco Island as part of a larger endeavor called Operation Christmas Child, an international holiday outreach of Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian relief and evangelism organization, which provides spiritual and physical aid to victims of war, poverty, natural disaster, and disease all across the world.

Kaydee Nantz, 11, Karlee Nantz, 8, and their mother Mary Beth Nantz said they had fun putting together the gifts.

“It was funny to see how my mom was going to make a boy box,” said Kaydee.

The sisters each made “girl boxes” for children their age.

Kaydee said she didn’t quite gauge the size of her shoebox appropriately for the things she picked out.

“Mine is overflowing and I still have a 17-inch bear at home that won’t fit,” she said. Kaydee plans to give the bear to a friend who can send a gift box of her own.

“I picked stuff that would fit,” said the younger sister Karlee with pride.

She added that she picked items within her price range that she would like to receive including Chapstick, a small bear with a cheerleader’s outfit, towel, t-shirt, flip-flops and a baby doll.

“I still like baby dolls,” Karlee said.

Last year the church collected nearly 600 gift filled shoeboxes from the Marco community, all given to “kids who might never have received a gift in their life,” said Flores.

“The project can be inexpensive but has a maximum effect around the world. It is a fun family project ... Participants enjoy shopping and finding just the right combination of goodies to put in their box,” he added.

Since 1993, more than 61 million shoeboxes have been packed, shipped and delivered to needy and hurting children in over 120 countries around the world, according to a prepared press release Wednesday by Jennifer Chambers of Operation Christmas Child.

Marco Presbyterian Church will host a dedication of the shoeboxes 10:30 a.m., Sunday.

The gift filled shoeboxes may be dropped off at the Marco Presbyterian Church office, 875 West Elkcam Circle between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, Nov. 17-21, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22.

While many island children are filling shoeboxes with gifts for other children, some Island youth are also helping to design Christmas ornaments for the young and old to enjoy at Christmas Island Style.

“We used to just pick the designs out of catalog and we thought what better way but to get students involved in the creativity,” said Barbra Dasti, chair of Christmas Island Style’s ornament committee.

Marco Island Charter Middle School students are already helping prepare for next year. Students in Shane Totten’s sixth grade art class are competing in a contest for the best ornament design for Christmas 2009. The top three design winners will be announced by the end of November and given prizes at the annual tree lighting ceremony 6 p.m., Dec. 6, at Veterans Community Park, said Bette McGilvray of Christmas Island Style.

Christmas Island Style’s 2008 ornaments are available at the Marco Gift and Shell Shop at the Town Center Shopping Mall, Salon and Spa Botanica at the Shops of Marco and at the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce for $13, according to Barbra Dasti and Bette McGilvary, co-chairs of the ornament committee.

Sales of the ornaments support the Christmas Island Style events on Marco, said Steve Stefanides, Chairman of Christmas Island Style.

More information concerning Christmas Island Style Events can be obtained by checking the organization’s Web site christmasislandstyle.com.