The true spirit of giving
To the Editor:

In my now twenty plus years of employment at Wayside Racquet & Swim Club, one aspect of the club which has always intrigued me is its sense of community. With more than 1,600 memberships bringing some 3,600 people through our doors, Wayside is truly a community of its own, within our greater community. Within the Wayside community are smaller communities: groups of members who interact, socialize and care for one another. One of these communities is very dear to my heart. They are a wonderful group of senior citizens who like to refer to themselves as "The Wayside Water Fitness Groupies." They come to the club religiously in the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. They can be found in the shallow end of the indoor pool on any given morning, bobbing, bouncing and moving through the water to the commands of their instructor. They'll be the first to tell you that it's hard work, but wonderful exercise and that's what keeps them coming back for more. It's not only the exercise though, it's the socializing. They gather together in the lobby after class and snack, play cards and catch up on the news of the day. Every other month, they pick a day and bring in enough food to feed an army in honor of those who had celebrated birthdays in recent weeks. They are there for each other, they encourage each other and they care deeply for each other. It's their social network.

Each holiday season they get together at one of their homes for a holiday party. Again, they bring all that wonderful food and usually a little grab bag gift to share. This year, their holiday gift was a gift to me, a gift in the true spirit of giving. They all got together and agreed that in lieu of the grab bag this year, they would gather together their grab bag money and make a present of it. I was called to their post-class gathering in the lobby one morning shortly before the holidays and presented with a card. Each of them had signed the card personally, some twenty five signatures in all. In the card was $250 in cash for me to use as a donation to a program very close to my heart: the Akiruno City Cultural Exchange Program. I was speechless and touched in a way that I have never been before. With all the marketing, media hype and commercialism that surround the holidays, I had been the recipient of a gift given in the true spirit of giving, one that I will remember for a lifetime.
Darren S. McLaughlin
General Manager
Wayside Racquet & Swim Club
Marlborough