In 1958, George “Happy” Irby was working as a waiter at the Officer’s Club of the Columbus Air Force Base, when he started collecting tip money to go toward buying clothing for underprivileged children in the area.

Those tips were the beginning of the Happy Irby Christmas Fund, a private organization that has benefited thousands since its inception.

This week, volunteers from both the city and the Columbus Air Force Base added to that number, carrying on Happy’s mission and legacy for the 66th year by purchasing and wrapping Christmas gifts for underprivileged children at local schools.

George Hampton Irby, son of Happy, told The Dispatch that the shop and wrap both carries on his father’s legacy and helps to remind participants about the reason for the Christmas season.

“It’s Jesus’s birthday,” Irby said. “And what was Jesus all about? Serving and helping the underprivileged. And I think people get a good feeling in their heart for doing something that somebody else will benefit from. I call us all servants. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re being servants and obedient to God by helping others.”

Fund Board Member Joe Smith said he has been part of the Irbys’ mission for the past 23 years. Though Happy passed away 15 years ago, he has stayed active with the project out of respect for his passion for the mission.

“I worked with (Happy) for many years,” Smith said. “I was flight chief here, and he was working in the club. That’s how I met him. And I was very impressed by the things he had done over the years… and the passion he had for taking care of people a little less fortunate. Some of the stories he told me over the years, just kind of touched me.”

Over time, Smith said, the project has evolved into a well-oiled machine, with a similar structure each year. Leading up to the event, area schools identify students that would most benefit from the program, Smith said, sending the organization each child’s sizes.

On Tuesday night, roughly 20 volunteers gathered at the Walmart on Highway 45 to shop for clothes to go into each gift box. Each box, Smith said, includes a pair of socks, underwear and a shirt. Volunteers are asked to keep each box worth roughly the same value.

The next morning, about 60 Columbus Air Force Base airmen and civilian volunteers wrapped each gift box in red and green wrapping paper. Once all the boxes were wrapped, they were then delivered to Sale, Fairview, Stokes-Beard, Cook, West Lowndes and Franklin Academy elementary schools.

“The support we get from the base and the community are just outstanding,” Smith said.

Irby said the shop and wrap packed 335 presents for local children this year. But volunteers involved with the project tend to work together quickly and efficiently, making it possible to purchase and wrap so many presents in such a short time.

“If you see the spirit of the people shopping, and the people that want to help to shop and participate, it makes it go quick and easy, even with that number (of gifts),” Irby said. “And hopefully, that number will decrease because the people in need will decrease. But if that number goes up, we’re going to have to do something to step up.”

Jessica Blocker, public affairs specialist for CAFB, said it is her third year on the base and her third year participating in the wrap. She said she loves getting to participate every year, due to the “incredible” legacy of the Irby family and the importance of connection between the base and the community.

“I hope long term, the effect it has on the children’s lives is that they know that they’re not alone, and somebody always has something to give,” Blocker said. “We’re here to help. The community is here to help. And no one is alone in this system.”

Auna Butler, a student pilot on the base, said she was glad to participate in the wrap, since many children in the area wouldn’t receive gifts for Christmas without groups like the Happy Irby Christmas Fund.

“Participating in this means a lot to me, because when I was younger, I was on the receiving end of these kinds of events,” Butler said. “I’m really happy to give back and to return the favor, like all those who gave to me when I was younger.”