ACWORTH - The JOY Foundation will conduct its 11th Annual Shop with a Hero event on Dec. 12. Unfortunately, because of the stale economy, co-founder Ron Papaleoni said the foundation may only be able to serve half or fewer of the deserving families it usually takes along on the shopping spree.

"We have received over 680 applications this year," Papaleoni said. "But with funds so low and tightening our qualifications even more, for the first time ever, we have had to tell children that there were no funds for them even though they qualified."

Papaleoni said that the charity sent letters to more than 430 children telling them that the JOY foundation was financially unable to assist them and gave them a list of other programs in the area.

The program began in 1998, when Papaleoni and his wife, Angela Papaleoni, along with Bob and Lori Weatherford, started shopping for about 28 children in need through the Marietta Housing Authority. The next year, Bob Weatherford, who was a reserve police officer, suggested they take the children shopping with a police officer and call it Shop with a Cop. The program grew each year, and by 2001, they changed the name to Shop with a Hero to also include firefighters, emergency medical service responders and military personnel.

The co-founders visited Louisville, Ky., last year to help the community set up a Shop with a Hero program, which helped more than 750 children in its first year.

Papaleoni said they try to give the children $100 each to shop with for gifts for their siblings and parents. Each child and his or her family are paired up with a volunteer and a public officer as they shop.

"We're just holding out for miracles. We always have those last-minute miracles, so we're just hoping for another one this year," Papaleoni said.

One of those miracles occurred early in the program's history, when Papaleoni said the foundation was shopping with money rather than the gift cards that are now provided.

"The program was over and we were going through the money and realized we were about $815 short. Me, my wife, and Bob Weatherford and his wife, we went out to our cars and were all going through our cash, debit cards, trying to figure out where we would get that money from when one of Bob's friends pulled up," Papaleoni said. "He asked if he was too late, that he had some things for us, so we walked over and were joking with him about a raffle he does every year when he will raffle off a bicycle, then he'll encourage people to give the bicycle back and he'll raffle it off again. We asked him how many times he raffled it this year and he said, 'Oh, about eight or so times' and gave us a wad of cash that was around $815 - exactly what we needed. It was a miracle, and we can only hope something like that happens again, as it always seems to each year."

Papaleoni said that the foundation receives applications from interested families via the Division of Family and Children Services, the Acworth and Kennesaw police departments, and the Marietta Housing Authority. Volunteers then screen the applications, and if a family has participated in the program for more than three years, it is asked to sit out for a year to give another family the chance to participate.

The program has replicated itself through participation with local high schools for such programs as Shop with a Warrior at North Cobb High School and Shop with a Mustang at Kennesaw Mountain High School.

Since about 2004, Papaleoni said families go to Kohl's off of Cobb Parkway in Acworth, where the department store gives the foundation an additional 20 percent of what was raised.

"This is huge, because say we are spending $80,000, then we get $16,000 back," Papaleoni said. "We'll go back once the Shop with a Hero day is over and spend that money on coats, underwear, shoes, socks, when the discounts are really low and give those to families we were not able to take care of or keep everything in storage to use if an emergency arises with a family and they lose their belongings. So essentially, if you donate $1, you are really donating $1.20.

"This is about the kids, and teaching them what it means to give. And they get it, probably better than adults. They want to give to their parents, and they are so generous and excited to do that. We understand that the economy is down and the situations people are in this year, but the small donations are really what make up the bulk of our funds. You just have to remember that no matter how bad you have it, these kids are probably in a lot worse shape. It's just priceless to see the difference it can make."

Papaleoni asked that donations be mailed to: The JOY Foundation P.O. Box 171 Acworth, Georgia 30101. Credit card donations can be made by calling 678-776-6331.