Group seeks help with holiday kindness day for kids
A local organization is reaching out to the community for financial assistance with an annual kindness event aimed at treating needy children to supplies, a gift and a day filled with fun this holiday season.
About 300 elementary children from 30 Yuma-area schools will gather Dec. 9 for the KIDS CuddleKit Closet’s 12th annual Kindness Makes a Difference Day. The event will take place at Desert View Academy from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Kids from all over Yuma County and Winterhaven will come together for the occasion.
According to a KIDS CuddkeKit Closet news release, children who benefit from Kindness Makes a Difference Day were referred to the organization by their teachers, counselors and school administrators.
The day will include a Santa’s workshop, a Gingerbread Candy House, massive inflatable obstacle courses and slides, a petting zoo, face painting, “fun” hairdos, a magic show, lunch and more.
Kindness Makes a Difference Day will conclude with each child receiving a surprise visit from Santa as well as a Holiday CuddleKit. The kits will include a new pillowcase that has been cut and tied by local children, a new book, a new stuffed animal, new shoes, a new hoodie sweatshirt, a new fleece blanket that has also been tied and cut by local children and a wrapped gift from their wish list.
“Everything that we do, which we’ve always done, is kind of make over-the-top, extra special things that any kid would love,” said Kristan Sheppeard, a founding board member of KIDS CuddleKit Closet. “It’s not just a mediocre day and all the things the children get come with love from the community. Every year we have new kids, so it’s always new to them because they haven’t attended before.
“KIDS CuddleKit Closet has (had) a mission since its inception to spread kindness to kids in Yuma County and the surrounding areas,” she added. “This event just ties right into that, especially during the holiday season. We have a lot of kids in our community that need kindness.”
As a vital part of the day, children who attend the event will learn “how to pay the kindness forward,” by decorating cookies for a local nursing facility, Sheppeard noted.
“They get to feel not only what’s it’s like to receive but what it is to give,” she said.
To make the day come to fruition, the organization is looking for sponsorships.
One of the more popular plans, Sheppeard said, is the $100 child sponsorship, which covers everything included in the holiday CuddleKit as well as the treats the children receive at the event.
Sponsors are also welcome to attend the event and personally deliver the kit to the child during the “Big Give” time.
In addition to sponsors, KIDS CuddleKit Closet is also looking for volunteers prior to and the day of the event.
For more information on sponsorships and/or volunteer opportunities, visit www.cuddlekit.org or call (928) 246-9108 or (928) 503-7393.