What is Christmas JOY you ask?
Besides the obvious JOY of giving, loving and being together with family and friends (near and far) it’s an annual event that we here at Spreading Joy have every year.
We couldn’t do it without your help and the help of so many amazing people that are just oozing compassion and love!
With your help of spreading the word about our annual Christmas Joy Event, financial donations and volunteering, we are able to host a Christmas party for many families that need some help with gifts for their children.
We take the year and round up toys (thank you for your monthly donation!) and keep an eye out for amazing deals that will benefit the families we work with.
With your help we pull together food, drinks, desserts, snacks and some fun smaller toys for the kids to enjoy during the evening!
The candy store you help us to provide is the favorite of most everyone! This year we had 31 different candies for the children to drop in their bag. They were able to get several pieces of each one.
Keep in mind; it’s not about changing the world with your millions of dollars and endless resources. It’s about making a difference with the resources you have right here…right now. What will you do with what you have?
Thank you for helping us to change lives, we couldn’t accomplish a single thing without your help.
Onward to the party!
Before the kids arrived, we put stuffed animals out in the chairs so that the children could go ahead and have them too. (Thanks mom for that amazing idea! I love that we are spreading joy together!)
The food was provided by Olive Garden and a sweet family provided all the hot dogs that the children and the volunteers enjoyed.
The kids were given a super cute reusable bag with a brand new Bible, Art kit and then as the evening progressed, filled it with stickers, crafts, candy from the candy store and then the little items we had for them to choose from. (as pictured below) They hear the Christmas Story and have fun with their crafts and getting candy!
While the children are having fun, we take the mom’s to a separate place where I share something encouraging with them and then they shop for their children.
With your help we were able to let each mom choose 5 gifts to take and wrap for Christmas Morning. That’s pretty awesome! You guys are amazing!
After the cards were made, the candy was placed in their bags, we brought the kids over and let them get a toy to take home and enjoy now. They were all asking about then when they got there. Made my heart smile! A simple yet enormous gesture that is only made possible by the generosity of you and so many who make this event possible.
This party is to allow these families to step out of the hustle and bustle of life and have fun for a few hours. Everyone needs to do that don’t you think?
We usually have a tiny gift for the moms, sometimes we don’t have anything for them but they never complain because they love having toys for the kids. This year we gave them all a couple of nice necklace and earrings sets from The Joyful Jewel Junkie A N D we were surprised with a generous donation from Verizon. 21 Families received a brand new smart phone! Talk about being giddy with excitement! I was so thrilled and they were too!
They were so excited to get them! So many of them said it was a wonderful upgrade from their current phone and were beyond grateful for this generous gift!
Isn’t it amazing all that we accomplished because we all pulled our individual resources together! We all cared, gave, spread the word and asked for help. I cannot begin to list everyone that helped but I wanted to highlight a few people. If I forget anyone, it isn’t on purpose, it’s because I’m old and forgetful!
Verizon Wireless – thank you for the amazing gift to these families. I already love you and love your Hopeline program!
Clark Nexsen – thank you for collecting toys for us! You are always so generous to help out!
Iron Mountain (Charlotte Facility) – thank you for collecting toys for us and bringing them to us! Your generosity amazes me!
Gastonia Dodge – thank you for collecting toys for us! Without your focus on older children we would have certainly ran out of items
Olive Garden Gastonia – thank you for the spaghetti, salad and bread sticks! Thank you for allowing us to put angels on your tree! The gifts you collected were incredible! This is such a special treat for these families!
New Grace Baptist Church – for the use of your facilities, volunteers and love of Spreading Joy
Beth Haven Baptist Church – for Collecting toys, volunteers and your love of Spreading Joy
I want to extend a huge thank you to all of the individuals that gave a financial donation to enable us to purchase toys, candy and little treats for the kids. You’ll be getting cards from the children and some photos!
Thank you to everyone who worked to collect toys! Those who asked for help and shared all of the Social Media Posts!
Thank you to everyone who came and volunteered your time! So many hours are invested in this event and there is absolutely no way I could ever pull of something of this size by myself. YOU are Spreading Joy Heroes and I’m so honored to make a difference for others with you.
Thank you to Angie Blevins, who constantly works behind the scenes throughout the entire year to write and ask for donations. I am so thankful for your help, love and compassion for others. You are a gift to Spreading Joy and I’m thankful for you!
Remember, working together with our individual resources made this happen! You are important to so many! You may never know just how much you impacted the hearts of these families but know that you have made a huge difference!
Keep looking for ways to make a difference!
Keep Spreading Joy and being kind!
Thank you for Spreading Christmas Joy with us! Thank you for changing lives with us! Thank you for acting on the compassion that lives within your heart! Thank you!
Want to see more photos and cards? Yes, you really should! Please visit the following places and see the impact that your heart for others really has!
http://instagram.com/spreadingjoyandlove
http://facebook.com/spreadingjoycorp
I hope you’ll like our pages and follow along with us in 2017 because we will show you the things we are doing each to spread joy and make a difference!
*I’m honored to be a brand ambassador for Verizon Wireless. Any and all opinions about their services, products and such are completely my own. I occasionally receive items to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I’m so thankful for their Hope Line Phone program for Women in need.
© 2016, Spreading Joy. All rights reserved.
Wow! Very beautiful and touching. True joy of Christmas.
Thank you Cheryl!! We love Spreading Joy to others and doing it with others! Such a fun thing to do!
marie recently posted..What is Christmas Joy
How awesome! True joy comes when we serve the Lord and abide in Him.
Absolutely Emily! We get more joy than we can imagine when we are giving and loving like Christ
Spreading Joy recently posted..31 Psalms of Comfort for Christians
That’s amazing! It’s amazing all the lives that were blessed in abundance. Generosity goes a long way in spreading joy!
it absolutely does Erin. And it doesn’t matter how big or little! When we combine it all, it’s one giant gift!
Spreading Joy recently posted..You can Be the Difference
It should be all about what Christ did for us on the Cross – and then sharing it with others
so True Andrea!! we have to share the JOY the Lord gives us!
Spreading Joy recently posted..Sticky Situations can be Inspiring
This is awesome! What a wonderful blessing you were to those families!
Thank you Grace! I remember times growing up it would have been a huge help for my mom, and then when my husband lost his job a few times, something like this would have really helped us too.
Spreading Joy recently posted..10 Reasons to Send Snail Mail
Great way to spread the JOY!!
Thank you Betty!! Please pray for us as we seek out ways to make a difference this year!
Spreading Joy recently posted..31 Psalms of Comfort for Christians
This is so amazing. What a great thing you all did. I love all the photos too. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks Amy! We love sharing what we can! We always make sure to send letters, cards and thank you to those that made this possible too.
Spreading Joy recently posted..Creative Ways to use ART for Spreading Joy
This is so great to hear! That sounds like an amazing event that shows Christ’s love. And wow those are some pretty great donations
so True Alyssa! From the dollar items to the big items and food. So many forget that if they send in the stickers, they send in their $5 gift, that when we combine it with all the others that are doing what they can….it turns into something this amazing!
Spreading Joy recently posted..Where is the Gratitude
Wow. This brought tears to my eyes. This is so incredibly awesome to plan and put this together. You make many kids christmas with help from your givers
We’ve been doing this since 2008 and many times we’ve heard comments like – “without this, I wouldn’t have anything to give my children” or “We can put up our tree now that we have something to go under it”
so many people struggle Terri, it’s just fun to have all of us combine our resources and make this happen.
Spreading Joy recently posted..Where is the Gratitude
Wow Marie, what a great approach to Christmas!
We feel like sometimes (or maybe oftentimes) Christ is lost in all the commercialism. I think it’s great what you were able to be part of. Thanks for listing the donators too. I was wondering and am always glad to see when businesses act generously like this so we can better direct our purchases.
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Thank you Scott. We love to thank those that helped and I could never list everyone because so many stepped up and came in person, sent stickers, send financial donations and those that couldn’t afford to send anything covered us with prayer!
Complete group effort!
Spreading Joy recently posted..Where is the Gratitude
This is an amazing thing you have organized!! It is very inspiring! I wonder if we can do something like this at our church!
Jennifer DeFrates recently posted..What 2016 taught me
You absolutely could Jennifer! and I’d love to help get you started!!!
Spreading Joy recently posted..Creative Ways to use ART for Spreading Joy
This is amazing!! God bless you in 2017!
Thank you Luisa. Please pray for us as we seek out more opportunities to make a difference!
Spreading Joy recently posted..10 Reasons to Send Snail Mail
What an awesome event to help others in the community. I have a few friends who have been on the receiving end with more gratitude than they could express. And, I’ve had my own boys help at events like this in the past to not only understand how fortunate they are, but to experience how good giving back can feel.
We had so many worker “elves” and I like doing that because it helps the other kids to feel like it’s just one big Christmas Party – and it is.
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Our church use to do something like this. It was one of my favorite things to do at Christmas!
I love it Tara! I look forward to it each year!
Spreading Joy recently posted..Where is the Gratitude
What a great ministry for the season!
Thank you Melinda! We do things year round but this is one of 2 annual events!
Please pray for us as we seek out ways to make a difference this year.
Spreading Joy recently posted..10 Reasons to Send Snail Mail
What you do sounds really amazing!
Happy new year!
Thank you Ida. We love encouraging women, children – anyone really.
Spreading joy is for every single person! Everyone has something they can do to make a difference.
Spreading Joy recently posted..31 Psalms of Comfort for Christians
This is amazing! You really planned everything out. It’s so cool that you had different activities for moms and kids.
“It’s about making a difference with the resources you have right here…right now.” –< You're right- that's what it's all about!
Thanks Beka! We truly try and make it a party! We don’t want any children or mom to feel embarrassed. We love and care for these people and want them to see that.
Spreading Joy recently posted..10 Reasons to Send Snail Mail
What an awesome thing! Very inspiring to read this!
Thanks Kay! We hope others will think about doing the same thing in their area!
Spreading Joy recently posted..31 Psalms of Comfort for Christians
This is awesome!
Thank you Cheyenne! Please pray for us as we seek out new ways of making a difference and impacting hearts this year
Spreading Joy recently posted..10 Reasons to Send Snail Mail
I wish I could of done more – I wish I could of helped! Christmas Joy is so amazing – I would have loved to of seen the faces of all the families. And WOW I can’t believe 21 families received a brand new smart phone – super cool! I bet their joy was through the roof! 🙂
Oh I forgot to say THANK YOU for the shout out much appreciated!!! 😉
Was such a fun time Angie and as you know the kids and mom are always so thankful! I’m so thankful for all the work you do behind the scenes! You are a true source of JOY for us!