Ornaments preserved by NSB

NORWAY — Some Christmas gifts can be purchased by an individual in a heartbeat.

Others can take 32 years, and the involvement of an entire community.

That's what happened when Norway Savings Bank (NSB), donors Roy and Joyce Hewitt, and a group of marketing students came together to breathe new life into a treasured Danbury Mint ornament collection, which is now on display in the NSB Operations Center on Main Street.

The Hewitts donated the collection to a fund-raising effort of the marketing students. The students were loathe to break up the collection, and NSB Vice President Karen Hakala took a personal interest in the story.

"It was meant to be" said Hakala. "This collection needs to stay together. Now we'll be displaying them every year, for all to see."

The bank purchased the ornaments with a $3,700 donation to the DECA program at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS), a group of marketing students that are preparing for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.

"The whole community gets to enjoy them, and I get to enjoy them," said Joyce.

The ornaments have a long history.

In 1978, the Hewitts began collecting the gold-plated ornaments as they became available. Danbury Mint, at the time just a fledgling company with seven year's history, offered the collectible ornaments at a rate of one per month.

"I love Christmas, and everything about it," said Joyce. "I started getting them right away. The very first ornament was an angel."

As time wore on, the collection started to grow into something special.

"During the year, I stored them in a fireproof cabinet," said Joyce. "I wasn't going to let them burn."

The ornaments began to outgrow their Christmas tree. Eventually, Joyce ran a series of strings in a pinwheel pattern that stretched from the tree to the furthers edges of the large room. Each wire held a year's worth of ornaments.

And the collection kept growing.

In 2003, the Hewitts moved to Maine from their New York home.

"I drove the ornaments up myself," said Hewitt. "I wouldn't trust a mover."

Finally, the Hewitts decided to share their ornaments with the rest of the world. Joyce contacted the high school, and said that they would like to donate the collection to benefit the school in some way.

"I thought maybe they could sell them," said Joyce. "I only asked not to split up an individual year's collection, because each year tells a story."

At first, says Joyce, she had a hard time communicating the value of the collection to the school.

"I think they thought that I was just this nutty lady," said Joyce. She eventually drove to the school with her car stuffed full of ornament boxes.

The students say that the DECA program has never received such a generous gift. They began trying to assess what they actually had.

"We really wanted to keep them together," said student Kayla Turner. "We started to go through them and find dates with magnifying glasses and gloves."

Each of the hundreds of ornament has been handled with such care that it remains in pristine condition.

Student Felicia Record says that the class was instantly struck by the magnitude of the Hewitt's generosity.

"We thought it was such a big deal," said Record. "It wasn't just money. It was like Christmas presents. We're lucky she chose us to donate to."

The donation of Norway Savings means that the students achieve their fund-raising goals, and that both the bank and the community get to enjoy the collection. In years to come, it is certain to become a fixed holiday tradition to window-watchers on Main Street.

Student Mikenzi Merrill says that a national banking firm would be unlikely to take on a project like this.

"You're not just a number there, you're an individual," said Merrill.

The Hewitts agree. In fact, they experienced a smaller token of NSB's community spirit when they first moved to the area.

"When we moved here, we went to Cumberland to use the payphone, but it was ripped out," said Joyce. "We went into the bank and asked for directions to a payphone. A young lady took us into her office, cleaned off her desk, and said to dial nine to get out."

"They didn't tell us not to call long distance or anything," added Roy.

"Before this year, we only had white lights to put on the trees," said Hakala. "We got compliments on how they looked, but they didn't tell a story.  Now they have this great message about being a part of a larger community."

A Christmas Gift Photo:

CHRISTMAS GIFT — Norway Savings Bank Vice President Karen Hakala speaks to students in the DECA Marketing Program about the Danbury Mint Collection while donors Joyce and Roy Hewitt look on.

Golden sparkle Photo:

CHRISTMAS GOLD — Each ornament is gold-plated brass, and the entire collection is valued at approximately $4,000. (photo by Matt Hongoltz-Hetling)