Though George “Happy” Irby passed away 14 years ago, his legacy is still keeping children in Lowndes County warm and clothed this holiday season. The Happy Irby Christmas Fund held its annual shop and wrap event this past week.

“My daddy had a vision years ago of helping the needy around this time of the year and we are trying to keep that legacy going,” George Hampton Irby, son of “Happy,” told The Dispatch on Tuesday night.

In 1958, George “Happy” Irby started what would become the Happy Irby Christmas Fund while working at the Columbus Air Force Base Officers Club, which is now the consolidated Columbus Club. He saved up tip money to buy clothes for underprivileged children in the county, according to the Columbus Air Force Base website.

Over time, the project grew to include more volunteers, more children and more clothes, evolving into a private organization that has benefited thousands of adults and children.

In 1976, “Happy” asked his son to join the project as a volunteer. When “Happy” passed in 2009, George Hampton Irby took over the project. After many years of practice, he said, the Happy Irby Shop and Wrap has evolved into a similar structure every year.

On Tuesday night, volunteers gathered at the Walmart on Highway 45 to shop for clothes to match with the sizes of various children in the county. Each box, the younger Irby said, included basics like underwear, socks, a top and a set of bottoms.

“(Happy’s) thing was that he wanted to help children,” George Hampton Irby said. “There were a lot of needy children in the community that didn’t have coats and didn’t have the basic necessities. So we don’t buy toys. We buy clothes.”

Then, on Wednesday morning, Columbus Air Force Base volunteers and other community volunteers packed the selected clothing into shirt boxes and red and green wrapping paper. The presents were then delivered to eight schools, including Stokes-Beard Elementary, Sale Elementary, West Lowndes Elementary and more.

A Columbus Air Force Base press release said more than 250 presents were purchased and wrapped in this year’s Happy Irby Shop and Wrap.

Brenda Dale, Columbus Air Force Base Comptroller Squadron’s Budget Analyst said she has been working on the base for 37 years and has been volunteering with the Happy Irby Shop and Wrap for the past 20.

Dale said very little has changed about the message of the project since the beginning, and Happy’s heart is still present through his son.

“If you knew Mr. Happy, you knew his heart,” Dale said. “And his heart was a giver. I remember… when I first came to the base, if I didn’t have enough lunch money, he would take care of me when I came over to the club. It’s important and it’s just a part of the season to give.”

The only real changes she has seen over time, Dale said, have been in the scope of the project and the speed of the wrapping. On Wednesday, the Columbus Air Force Base volunteers managed to get all the presents wrapped in a little over an hour, she said.

First Lieutenant and International Military Student Officer Arianna Simcox said this was her first year wrapping gifts with the Happy Irby Shop and Gift. She brought members of her office with her, giving them an opportunity to give back.

“It’s just a great way to give back,” Simcox said. “I don’t know the situations of all of these individuals, but they could be less fortunate and just need some extra help around the holidays and it’s just a great thing to do.”