To say that 2020 was a tough year is somewhat of an understatement. And to top it all off, the Christmas everyone was hoping for was pretty much cancelled. It felt like the Covid Grinch really had stolen Christmas.
And for the children who attend Incredible Kids, their hope of a Christmas party (the party they had been looking forward to all year), was vanishing rapidly.
You see, these children and families struggle every day with isolation. But Incredible Kids is a place where children with additional needs can play, have fun and spend quality time as a family. This respite time also gives family members a short break from the pressures of family life. And, as we all know, sometimes a cup of tea and a chat is all we need to feel we can face the world.
The Incredible Kids Christmas party is an eagerly anticipated annual event and something these children focus on throughout the year. For some, it’s their only Christmas celebration. So when they told us that the party might not be able to go ahead because it had to be outside and they simply didn’t have enough staff to set everything up, we knew we could help.
The challenge was to set up an outdoor, socially distanced Christmas party for over 100 children. With only 2 members of staff and under 2 hours to get everything set up, they simply needed people power.
So we approached our Corporate Sponsor Hartsfield who stepped in and sent 4 team members to help set everything up. Which made all the difference. Incredible Kids were so grateful for the help and said the party wouldn’t have been the success it was without our volunteers.
Sometimes, all charities need is a bit of time or resource and we loved bringing Christmas cheer after such a challenging year. It made our Christmas too.
We want to express our sincere thanks for your help with setting up our Winter Wonderland Christmas Party. With such a small window for party preparation, we really could not have done it without you, and we can assure you that all the families and children had a lovely time.
This has been a difficult year for everyone, and it has been more important than ever to bring some Christmas cheer to the families that we support. Without your help, our party could not have been the success it was – you really helped bring Christmas to our families!
Jeannae Bhalerao, Incredible Kids Charity, Bristol