The Shriner’s Shopping Spree of Fentress County started in the 1950’s serving ten needy school children. Each child was allotted ten dollars to purchase Christmas gifts for their families. In 1976, Mrs. Faye Stephen’s son Stacy, then a third grader at York Elementary was chosen to participate. He bought his momma a “diamond ring” which is one of her most valuable treasures today. This gift prompted Faye’s desire to help other children.

Eighteen years later Faye was elected Fentress County Register of Deeds. This newly elected position gave her leverage to actively participate in community outreaches and make a difference in the lives of needy children.

Leonard Bilbrey and Baxter Wilson inducted Faye into her volunteer service for the Annual Shopping Spree. For the next twenty-six years, Faye delivered and retrieved permission forms to schools. Every year, she spent the first Saturday of December from 1:00p.m. to 3:00 p.m. broadcasting the Shopping Spree Share-a-thon. Some businesses donated prior while other businesses and people in the community pledged donations during broadcasting time.

Faye would spend the remainder of the weekend manually alphabetizing chosen children’s names. For the next two weeks she would collect the contributions and organize the volunteers to prepare for shopping day, the third Saturday of December. Faye spear headed the outreach, but not without hard working helpers through the years from many community participants. 

In 2000, the Jamestown Rotary Club became the sponsors of the Shopping Spree. With the rise of community awareness through the years the cause has continued to grow; now serving 300 school children, each receiving seventy dollars, and 115 Head Start children each receiving fifty dollars. The cause now reaches beyond Christmas and provides help in the case of children losing poccessions in house fires and in the case of cancer diagnosis where monies are used for gas and food. The expansion of services brought a name change: Rotary Club Children’s Shopping Spree-Plus!

Our current Rotary Club President now leads this outreach with Faye still lending her voice for Share-a-Thon each December. Faye labored with heart and soul from 1994 to 2020 before retiring from her work of this needed cause. 

Faye Stephens also served another cause, that of Mrs. Clause, for the children of Fentress County! Her grandchildren’s daycare teacher organized a presentation with her preschooler’s in 2000 and asked Faye to be Mrs. Clause. Faye made her dress and cape, thus Mrs. Clause became a community staple. She served with two diffrent Santa Clauses for twenty years. Through the years Faye held many children while posing for pictures in Jamestown and other surrounding towns. Faye has officially retired as Mrs. Clause, but not without a pause.

Mrs. Clause came out of retirement to serve last Saturday at South Fentress Community Park. Faye had kept her dress and cape, so accepting the invitation seemed a jolly thing to do!

Faye faithfully served the cause of the shopping spree to help children in need and played Mrs. Clause to bring joy and delight to children of Fentress County through the years. Her grandchildren sat at Faye’s feet the first time she appeared as Mrs. Clause. Once old enough to serve alongside their grandmother and their parents, they became volunteers for the Annual Children’s Shopping Spree.

Many children have been touched by Faye’s willingness to serve, but she takes no credit. She has given freely with emphasis on all who labored alongside her. She has reflected the love of Jesus serving humbly to bless others.

How might we give of ourselves this Christmas season, humbly loving like Jesus to serve others? Whether a leader or a helper our financial, physical and spiritual contributions make a difference in the lives of children in our community. 

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 5:13