A Shepherd of Love

Jacquelin Ukrop Aronson ’89 knows that just outside the warmth of the holiday season sit cold pockets of struggle. For some, witnessing the abundance of gifts and cheer can create a hole, a recognition of what is missing. As this year’s Richmond Christmas Mother, Aronson wants to extend that warmth to the entire city of Richmond. “During the holidays grief intensifies,” she says. “There are people who have lost family members and loved ones or who don’t have family to share the holidays with. There are also people who don’t have the means to give gifts, and we’re here to help those people.”

Established in 1935, the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund, sponsored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, supports struggling families during the holiday season. Through partnerships with the Salvation Army of Central Virginia, Feed More and The Community Foundation, the fund processed holiday grant funding for 51 local nonprofits. In a long-held Richmond tradition, Aronson joins 88 other Christmas Mothers that have served before her, some of whom are also Collegiate graduates. Over the last few months, Aronson and the fund have been preparing to give nourishment and love to families this holiday season in the form of clothing, food, gifts and, maybe most importantly, companionship. 

Aronson knows well the tonic that companionship brings to the grieving. In 2003, she gave birth to her first son, Robert Scott Aronson, who was stillborn. She fell through unimaginable depths of pain, but, with the support of her husband Scott, her family and church, has emerged ready to help others suffering from loss. Always the first born, Robert Scott still holds a special place within the Aronson family, which now includes four additional siblings. “Even though I am a mother in grief, I could never know someone’s specific pain and situation,” she says, her voice wavering but strong. “So I have a great empathy because I've been in that dark place. And I know the work that it took for me to come out.” As Christmas Mother, Aronson has planned, in conjunction with Area Commanders of the Salvation Army, a Service of Remembrance, which will allow people in Richmond to gather with others who have lost loved ones at any point in their lives. Communing with others in a shared sense of loss, she’s learned, creates a path toward peace and happiness. 

“In addition to everything else the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund can do for families, what I want to establish in my role is a space to listen to other people,” she says. “I want to create a space that encourages anyone who has lost someone to, in their own time, speak about the person they loved, that they miss and long for. At the very least, I want peoples’ losses to be acknowledged during this holiday season.” 

Aronson comes to the role of Christmas Mother having seen her mother Jayne Ukrop and aunt Barbara Berkeley Ukrop take on the same position when she was growing up. With a focus on family unity, these two women taught Aronson the importance of giving back, but she also credits Collegiate for her natural inclination to community service. “I have multiple memories from my time in the Lower School all the way through Upper School where teachers were giving so much of themselves in the form of kindness, knowledge and advice,” she says. “That really left an impact on me, and I think it’s helped encourage me to serve all my communities throughout my life. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be the Christmas Mother because it’s so important to take care of everyone in the Greater Richmond area — no matter what they’re going through.” 

To contribute to the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund, please click here.