What an amazing time we had last night at our first annual "Santa's Merry Mall"!
The kids had a great time shopping for their loved ones in our festive stores!
A big shout out to Jennifer McMillen for coming up with the idea for Santa's Merry Mall and for creating all of the fabulous signs!
When they were done shopping they headed over to have their gifts wrapped for them.
They had dinner at Prancer's Pizza Palace...
...and enjoyed some hot cocoa...
...complete with all the fixings to make their drink tasty!
(thank you Monique!)
Oh, and the sweets, can't forget the sweets!
Everyone got to make reindeer ornament to take home as a souvenir.
Probably the most exciting part of the evening was hearing a special guest was arriving. And that guest arrived in style compliments of some of Henrico's finest at Engine 12!
Probably the most exciting part of the evening was hearing a special guest was arriving. And that guest arrived in style compliments of some of Henrico's finest at Engine 12!
It was pure joy to see the children's face light up when the doors opened up and out came Ole St. Nick!
The kids were so eager to talk to him and get him inside!
Santa had his work cut out for him as he had lots of presents to personally call out to each child and their siblings to receive a gift that was hand picked with their hobbies and interests in mind.
The one common denominator the whole evening was the smiles.
We all felt incredibly blessed last night to be part of something that made so many kids so happy.
None of this could have been possible without the generous support from our friends at Movement Mortgage who provided Santa with ALL of the toys for the children. A special thank you to Bob McNerney and his dedication to making the evening happen. We are truly overwhelmed by their kindness and support to our program. A huge thank you must go out to two of Santa's elves who hand picked and wrapped each and every toy - Sly and Tom. The time and energy you put into this was truly a labor of love and we are all so grateful. Our hearts are full.
And last, but certainly not least, our fearless leader who always wants to give the absolute best to these children, Kate Tilley. Without your vision, drive and passion, we wouldn't be where we are today!
Thank you to every single person who had a hand in making last night such a great night for the children and to Saint Michael's church for hosting us!
Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season. Great things are happening and we can't wait to share more exciting events in 2015!
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