Children in need across the city received gifts to help make the holiday a little brighter at the 29th Annual Christmas in the Wards Saturday.
Organizers of Christmas in the Wards said this is the second largest local toy drive in the country. The event this year is helping more than 2,000 kids from 700 families to celebrate Christmas.
The ballroom at McCormick Place was filled with smiles, cheers, and the holiday spirit for the event.
Kimuelle Simmons and her family were among the hundreds who turned out for the event.
“This feels so good because I was just telling them how are we going to do this for Christmas,” she shared. “How are we going to have a Christmas this year because of the rent and all this other stuff.”
The mother of six from the south side said her family is grateful for the extra support, especially during the holidays.
“I feel a lot of love, flurries, wanna have teary eyes and stuff,” she said. “But I’m gonna stay strong right now and cry when I get home.”
Kids of all ages walked away with a gift including high school senior Joelle Nixon. She’s heading off to college next year and received a brand-new laptop
“It means a lot to receive it and not have to pay for it and I’m just very thankful,” she said.
The event distributed more than 10,000 toys. The giveaway also included winter coats, bicycles, flat screen televisions, and other electronics. Larry Huggins is the founder.
“It’s truly amazing it just fills my heart, and I can’t just thank people enough for the things that we do and the fact that they’re here and when you look around this place everybody is smiling everybody is having fun,” said Huggins.
The giveaway brought together elected leaders from all 50 Wards for ‘Santa’s Workshop.’ Everyone was under one roof for the same cause.
“You know when we look at Chicago, one in four children are at or beneath poverty and this is the day in which we erase statistics and let every child know that they matter that they cared so what we’re doing today is giving an ounce of joy in the midst of everything that’s going on in the city,” he said.
While the little ones are excited to open these gifts on Christmas morning, their parents said they’ll never forget the kindness that made it possible.
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