RICHMOND — Volunteers in Wayne County are helping hundreds of children give Christmas gifts to their loved ones.
They say this time of the year can be expensive for families, and not everyone can afford to buy presents.
Friends Nora and Paxton picked out Christmas gifts for their mom and dad on Tuesday.
“I got my dad a tape measure," 6-year-old Nora said. “He likes tools."
They’re doing it with the help of volunteer Chichi Sanders, who's representing IU East Women’s basketball.
“Some people don’t have the best opportunity when it comes to Christmas. This is a great opportunity for the kids to come shop for the people that they love," Sanders said.
This week, the gym at the Jeffers location was transformed into the Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County’s annual Christmas Shop.
“Youth from all six of our locations get an opportunity to come to our Jeffers unit and they get to shop for members in their family that they wake up with on Christmas Morning," CEO Alicia Painter said.
The annual tradition was just renamed the Carla Stidham Christmas Shop.
Stidham passed away earlier this year.
Painter says she hopes the new name will help keep her legacy alive.
“Carla Stidham joined the board of directors of the Boys and Girls of Wayne County in 1995 which is when she started this Christmas shop. It was her brain child," she said.
Last year, roughly 600 kids took home 3,000 presents, all for free.
Christmas Shop Coordinator Ann Herrman says this helps teach children the importance of giving.
“We think sometimes it’s about the me generation. We want our kids — the BGC teaches them a lot of manners and they’re very polite. It’s nice when they come in and pick out presents for their family," Herrman said.
