The event is planned in conjunction with the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and the Florida Kiwanis Divisions 23 and 24. To plan the event, each homeless shelter or facility is contacted to provide the name, age, gender, underwear size, clothing size, and shoe size of every single homeless child, so that the gift packages can be personalized for each child. It takes the planning comm
ittee about seven to eight months to prepare adequately for this event. Preparation includes working closely with shelters and facilities, seeking sponsorship and donations from local organizations and businesses (whether monetary or in-kind) through advertisements, letters and word-of-mouth, locating a packing facility, shopping for the items, storing the goods in a central location, preparing labels with the children’s names and relevant information, packing the personalized bags, transporting them to the facility, and arranging for entertainment and food for the event day. Santa(s) and his helpers are on site to distribute the gifts to the children. On the event day, at the very end, families can also obtain additional items for the children in a specified grab bag area. On the event day, in addition to Kiwanians and other volunteers from the community, Broward County Commissioners, as well as elected officials from other Cities, are in attendance to show that they care about these families. The success of this project is living proof that together we can make a difference in the lives of those in need.
