Balloon artist Mike Jones entertained the youngsters at the event. The Lord’s Lighthouse photos.
More than 140 local children who might otherwise have had nothing to unwrap on Christmas morning found their stockings stuffed last weekend, thanks to Ruskin’s Lord’s Lighthouse Ministry and the generosity of locals.
The weekend Christmas party was held at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church parish hall with gifts coming from church parishioners, the Arena Realtors group and members of MacDill Air Force Base.
“We had about 124 children registered, but then we had about 25 to 30 walk-ins,” said Doreen Rivera, a member of the Lord’s Lighthouse and daughter of pastor Bill and Dora Cruz, who founded the mission in 2008. The Lord’s Lighthouse helps feed and clothe more than 300 people a week.
Employees at MacDill had been collecting for weeks in preparation for the big day, with members of the military taking each family’s wish list. Anticipating walk-ins on the day of the event, St. John the Divine members also pitched in with gifts so that no child walked away empty-handed. Arena Realtors also donated gifts.
Paul Doucette, a manpower specialist at MacDill Air Force Base, left, said the reaction of the children when they received their gifts was all the reward he needed for weeks of work organizing the fundraising drive at the base.
“I know some of the older children asked for Walmart gift cards, and I know some got $100 gift cards, so these were not inexpensive gifts,” Rivera said. “I registered the kids, and some had asked for bikes. I told them ‘Honey, ask for something else. They will not be able to bring you a bike.’ I wrote on the list that the child had asked for a bike but they had also [requested a smaller gift in its place] but they still got the bike.”
Rivera praised the generosity of the military families. “Many of those in the military are in need, too, but their generosity when it comes to the kids is just amazing. They blessed these children.”
Without the presents, the children would likely have nothing to open on Christmas morning. “I know for a fact many of the parents are keeping the gifts [they received at the weekend event] and putting them under the tree because that’s all many of them are getting,” Rivera said.
This is the fourth year the staff at MacDill has been collecting toys for South Shore children.
“Each person sponsors a whole family and makes sure each child gets the same level of gifts,” said Paul Doucette, a manpower specialist at MacDill who has been working with the Lord’s Lighthouse since he moved to South Shore five years ago. “We are not going to spend $50 on one child and $10 on another,”
Seeing the look of the children’s faces is worth all the work for Doucette.
The Christmas party at St. John the Divine went on for two hours.
“Just to see the reactions of the kids is special,” he said. “They look at the [presents] and most of them are just shocked. It’s always magical just to see their faces.”
Each family lined up at the event, first getting a bag of candy, then some smaller gifts and more candy. They collected their big gift at the end of the line, then were also treated to lunch. “God is working magic through a lot of people,” Doucette said.
Balloon entertainer Mike Jones was also on hand for two hours to make balloons for the children.
Thanks to more than 50 volunteers from Brandon’s Crossing Church, The Lord’s Lighthouse also helped provide a holiday party for 75 children of migrant farmworkers on Dec. 13, the day before the event at St. John the Divine.
“Many of the children received more than one gift,” said Dora Cruz. “The members of the church also played with the children and made lunch. It was a beautiful event.”
After spreading the Christmas spirit among the area’s neediest children, Cruz is hoping the Lord’s Lighthouse is also blessed in the new year as they look for a new home. The charity is in the process of looking for a new location after their current site was put up for sale.
Volunteers made the day special for the children.
For more information on the Lord’s Lighthouse or to help the group find a new home, call 813-321-9723.