Beginning in January 2015, several members of the La Porte Jaycees, La Porte County Association of Realtors (LPCAR), Deserving Children's Roofsit, and many other community groups embarked on a journey with one mission: Raise money for at-risk children in La Porte County. Our goal was to take over 600 deserving children shopping for Christmas to ensure they had winter coats, boots, snow pants, clothing, hats, gloves, and toys for winter time. Each child was slated to receive $100. The goals were lofty so we went to work immediately. We sold cookies and hot dogs, held a live auction where ordinary items sell for extraordinary prices, sat on a roof and stood in the streets for 3 days begging, sent letters and e-mails to anyone who would listen, and threw one of the best concerts the Civic Auditorium has seen in years. Members of the community showed up and supported our efforts every step of the way. The $60,000 we needed to reach our goal was met and exceeded.
Not only did we meet our goal, we were able to do more. On December 8th and 9th over 600 children were picked up at home and driven to either the La Porte County Fairgrounds or the Orak Shine with two adult chaperones. Once they arrived they were greeted by the Star Wars 501st Legion: Northern Darkness Garrison members, handed a stocking full of goodies, visited with Santa Claus, and enjoyed a warm meal donated by McDonald's. Before they left for either Wal-Mart or Kmart to shop, each child received their $100 tax exempt voucher.
The smiles on the children's faces made every ounce of effort worthwhile. Watching a kid giggle with excitement over a new pair of gloves, or witnessing the kids light up when Santa asks them what they want for Christmas will melt any heart. The time that the chaperones spend with the children is even more important than money and gifts. These memories will last a lifetime.
None of this could happen without the hard work and contributions from the Deserving Children's Roofsit Committee, LPCAR Deserving Children's Auction Committee, McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Bethany Church, ABATE Region 2, Hightec Solar, IU Health La Porte Hospital, SilCoTec, Swanson Center, Rotary Club of La Porte, FOP #54, Radke Engineering, La Porte County Fairgrounds, and the Orak Shrine. To all of the volunteers and members of the aforementioned organizations and businesses - thank you. To all of the volunteers who helped at the Fairgrounds and Orak the night of the event - thank you. And to all of the community members who stepped up and shopped with the children on a night comparable to Black Friday - THANK YOU.