Just Be Clause continues mission to bring Christmas joy

Seventeen years ago, Bob Baker met a young boy who had a number of health issues.

“I asked him what he wanted for Christmas,” Baker said. “He said he wanted to see Santa.”

Baker immediately bought a suit and beard. “He let me in and said, ‘Hi, Bob Baker.’ I told him I wasn’t Bob, I was Santa. He said, ‘OK, you be Santa all the time.’”

That was the moment Just Be Clause was born.

“We started very slowly with candy canes and an apple or orange. We bought fruit off the school,” Baker said. “After that, word spread and people started donating money and toys. So it grew.”

The registered 501c3 charity helps families with gift aid around the holidays. Local schools, churches and fire departments contact Baker with children in need. The organizations fill out a form for each child with name, age and items they want for Christmas.

“We try our best to fill their lists,” Baker said.

From golf tournaments to poker runs, Baker works on fundraising year-round to bring Christmas joy to those in need. The next fundraiser will be held at BrightSide Tavern in Jewett, Dec. 13. The tavern is hosting a Basket Bingo to benefit Just Be Clause as a final push before Christmas.

“All our fundraising goes to shopping for what we need,” Baker said. The charity accepts both monetary and physical donations. The most needed items include toys, hats, gloves and socks.

To donate, call Baker at 740-768-2873 to coordinate. If he or his wife are not home, callers may leave a message and they will return the call.

Baker and his wife have long dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus for events and to hand out gifts. Due to health reasons, they will not be able to do that this year. Still, volunteers are ready to step in. “We have had so many helpers, I couldn’t count them all,” he said.

The charity serves Harrison, Jefferson and Carroll counties but has also traveled to West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Baker said they will help anyone who asks.