PARKER, Colo. — For the past 13 years, AdventHealth Parker and New Day Adventist Church in Parker have teamed up to provide free gifts to families in need during their four-day Christmas Store charity event.
Each year, Parker schools identify children who could use help putting presents under the Christmas tree and invite them to shop at the Christmas Store at AdventHealth Parker Hospital. Visiting kids are allowed one gift for themselves but are encouraged to pick multiple gifts for each member of their immediate family.
"That is a really special thing to be able to not just receive but to have that joy of giving to others. And you see some kids come to these tables, and they will walk around and they're really thinking, 'What would my brother or sister really want?'" said Shawna Sajdak, the director of community outreach at New Day Adventist Church in Parker.
This year, volunteers shopped for enough gifts to support 200 families.
"Throughout the year, we are shopping for gifts. Ninety-five percent of the gifts are purchased, about 5% are donated. We are just looking for good deals, going through the clearance bins, looking for things that we think the kids would like," said Sajdak.
Sajdak oversees 200 volunteers, with work beginning in January. When it's all said and done, 3,000 gifts will be bought, organized, and given away.
Volunteers transform the inside of a hospital conference room into a winter wonderland with decorations and tables full of presents.
"The kids know they're entering the hospital, so they're a little nervous to begin with. And when they come down the hall and start to see the decorations, you can just see their eyes get big," said Pastor Lisa Cardinal, the lead pastor at New Day Adventist Church.
The work is tedious, but these volunteers are happy to spend their time ensuring a special holiday for their neighbors.
"I don't usually see volunteers leaving without a smile either," said Sajdak.
In its 13 years, the Christmas Store event has seen a sharp rise in the number of families they support.
"From one year to the next, a school might say, you know, this year we need seven invitations, and the very next year, they ask for 28 invitations," said Cardinal.
- Take a look inside the Christmas Store in the video player below
But with the help of volunteers and donations, the group has said yes to every request.
"That saying it takes a village, that is absolutely true. It takes a village all throughout the year to pull this off," said Sajdak.
If you'd like to donate to next year's fund, you can visit the New Day Adventist Church website.
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