This Christmas season, we had the privilege to work with the Active 20-30 Club to bring Christmas to 62 families by documenting the experience through our eyes (and lenses of course).
On December 7th, members of the Active 20-30 Club of Bakersfield and High School interact groups from West, Liberty, Stockdale Honors Club joined together at Walmart to spend thousands of dollars of donated money to bring Christmas to 62 families and almost 200 kids across the Kern County area including the greater Bakersfield area, Lake Isabella, Tehachapi, Shafter and Lamont.
The 4 hour shopping spree produced toys, electronics, bicycles, and of course shoes and other clothing items for the kids. When our shopping was finished, the approximately 100 volunteers converged on Liberty High School’s cafeteria to wrap all the presents! With countless rolls of wrapping paper and tape, hundreds of packages were wrapped with love, and bagged for delivery.
On December 14th, we gathered for breakfast at Narducci’s, who sponsored and donated our great meal. With full bellies, we were off to deliver Christmas! Different groups went on carefully pre-planned routes.
When we arrived at the houses, we were greeted with open arms and joy by the families. If the family did not have a Christmas tree, which was the case at over half of the families we visited, we set one up for them. The families helped us decorate the tree, and then we placed the packages under the tree. Tears of joy and many thank you’s were given, and with hugs, we were off to the next family…
Many business and private individuals came together to sponsor this wonderful event. Without them, and all of the volunteers, it would not have been possible. If you are interested in sponsoring or volunteering, here is the information you will need:
See the entire experience below:
