It's always better to give than to receive

Every year, we partner with schools in low-income neighborhoods of Des Moines, Iowa. We have two goals - fostering the spirit of Christmas and wanting kids to realize what their future could hold by working hard, staying in school and out of trouble. Our program, Christmas For Kids With A Wish treats kids to a day full of miracles! We start the day with breakfast, a t-shirt and stocking cap for everyone. Kids are then matched up with a volunteer to start shopping for others. All gifts are then wrapped and then ……..Santa and Mrs. Claus appear and present each child with their own bag of goodies.

We also love to support our community. Recently we have partnered with Youth Emergency Service Systems (YESS) and Hawthorne Hill to create memories and provide much needed support these organizations need. For YESS we fulfill their “need” list for the shelter. Then we host a pizza party and movie night for the kids and workers. It’s a fun event that Santa looks forward to annually. For Hawthorne Hill, we help transitioning families with bus tokens, supplies for their new, more permanent home and a shopping experience to purchase gifts for each other.