Families have a special Christmas, thanks to Ramona woman and her elves

For the past decade, Shelly Heimer — a Ramona High School alumna, Army veteran and owner of H5 Financial, a mortgage company in Ramona — has been bringing the spirit of Christmas to families in need.

With the help of her team at H5, Heimer has delivered the magic of the season to the homes of more than 50 families throughout Ramona over the past 10 years.

Knowing that Ramona is a giving community, Heimer started the program as a way to give back to families that were experiencing hard times during the holiday season. Nomination forms are distributed to local schools and churches and posted on social media platforms.

“My team, Lindsey McNerney, Vyktorria Garcia, Katrina Craft and I, work together each year starting in September,” said Heimer.

Once the forms are returned, Juanita Collier, owner of Juanita Collier EA, a Ramona-based bookkeeping and tax service, and her staff review them and select the families for the program, Heimer said.

“We typically receive about four to five nominations each year, and we do our best to adopt each family.” she said.

Heimer then reaches out to each family with a personal introduction, followed by a wish list that is emailed for families to complete. Inside Heimer’s office, a giving tree displays tags listing items requested by the families, along with a virtual tree that allows community members to view and participate online.

The wish lists are fulfilled by Ramona businesses, R-Town residents, Realtor partners, H5 clients and local service clubs. This year, the Ramona Soroptimist Club organized a matching donation among its members and was able to contribute $1,300.

“I am so grateful for all the partners who continue to help me year after year — they always show up and support our families,” Heimer said.

This year, four Ramona families will be gifted the spirit of Christmas through Heimer’s Adopt-a-Family program.

The program will make a meaningful impact for a mother and her two children who are grieving the loss of their father — a gardener and local pastor who passed away in October.

It will also support a family of five recovering from a devastating motorcycle accident that left both parents unable to work.

Another family includes a mother and her two children who are learning to navigate life after the sudden passing of their father, a tile craftsman.

The final family is a single mother of three — soon to welcome a fourth baby — who is providing full-time care for her youngest son after he survived a near-fatal accident over the summer.

Daron Mathena has three sons, Westley, 11, Zeke, 6, and Grey, 3, and is expecting her fourth child in early February. Mathena is the owner of Gathering Blue Acupuncture and Wellness Center in Ramona.

On June 17, Grey nearly drowned after falling into a pool. Since then, Mathena has stepped away from her business to provide 24-hour care to help him recover.

Over the past six months, Grey has undergone extensive treatment, including hours of occupational and physical therapy, hyperbaric chamber sessions, speech therapy, acupuncture, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy and most recently, stem cell treatment.

“Grey’s recovery improves daily. His brain injury was severe,” Mathena said. “But he is starting to giggle at things, he understands conversations and connects with us by cooing.”

“My children’s spirit and energy have stayed so positive, even through the toughest times, as they watch their little brother recover,” she said.

Mathena laughed as she shared a story about her middle son, Zeke.

“He asked Santa for the Minecraft character, Steve. When I looked it up online and realized the character is played by Jack Black, I couldn’t stop laughing — it was just so funny-looking,” she said.

“The kids are excited for Christmas. We’ve put up the tree, made cookies and danced around the house. They kept asking about seeing Santa, so I took them to the VFW Hall and The Brokerage.”

The Adopt-a-Family program always brings out the emotions in Heimer.

“I cry when I call to tell families they have been nominated, and I cry again when the gifts are delivered,” she said.

This year, families received their wish list gifts Dec. 19. The gifts were delivered unwrapped so parents could add their own special holiday touches, ensuring that Santa’s arrival — and his spirit of giving — is part of the family tradition.

“I cried when I saw all the gifts in Shelly’s office,” Mathena said as she picked them up.

“Ramona is a special town. The community has gathered around us since day one of Grey’s injury. I didn’t truly understand the power behind the word ‘community’ until now, and I am so thankful,” she said.

“Thank you to Shelly Heimer and her staff, a thousand times over, for helping my family experience a wonderful Christmas. My kids are going to have the best Christmas ever.”