Kids from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana got some of their Christmas loot early during a bash that’s become a favorite of the organization.
Five hundred kids converged on the Dean and Barbara White Community Center in Merrillville Dec. 7 for the sixth annual Christmas to Remember. Separated by colored T-shirts representing each of the 10 clubs, the kids, after getting some face time with one of three proxy Santas, tore into large bags of gifts just for them before chowing down at a pizza party.
Each kid filled out a wish list with what they wanted, and then volunteers picked out items that totaled a set amount per child, Wendy Mang, clubs director of community outreach, said. The list has a mixture of clothes and fun stuff, so volunteers purchased the needs first before the wants.
Of course there are always the kids asking for big-ticket items like a PS5 or new iPhone, Mang said, but with the sheer number of kids for whom they’re buying, those requests are denied. Still, they do the best they can.
“We always have very generous donors, but we always look first at what they need,” she said. “We see some very sad situations, but we always see very happy kids.”
Mike Jessen, the organization’s president and CEO for seven months, said he couldn’t get over the coordination and execution of an event that large, especially with all 10 clubs coming together at once. But families always make it work.
“The clubs view these kids as family, and they know them best. So to have these small families come together as one big family, well, it’s pretty special,” he said. “The holidays aren’t always joyful for some, but if we can brighten them for 500 families, that makes it all worth it.”
There were certainly some happy kids from the Duneland Boys and Girls Club that night. Peighton, 10, and her sister Ivy, 8, each got Rainbow High dolls, winter coats and a couple other toys, while D’Angelo, 10, got a Marvel bed set and Bowie got a remote-control car.
Another popular item was a Spiderman web shooter with a suction cup for when kids like Liam, 10, need to solve crimes.
Max Carter, a sophomore football player at Valparaiso University, said his teammate, Sam Hafner, talked him into being one of Santa’s elves for the event. It’s now one of his favorite things to do.
“We set up the gift bags and watch the kids open them, and this is great,” Carter said. “A kid named King got a basketball hoop for his door, and he was excited.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
