"Christmas in the Wards" brings gifts to 700 Chicago families
CHICAGO (CBS) – It's an event that brought together the mayor, 38 Chicago aldermen, and many more local and state leaders, but politics was not the focus.
Christmas in the Wards is about the families who benefit from the mission of a nonprofit. CBS 2's Noel Brennan showed what it's all about.
While Dec. 25 was still days away, it felt like Christmas morning inside the McCormick Place on Saturday.
Anticipation built for Eletha Shearer and her family as they waited for their number to be called.
"My number is 085," she said.
Moms and dads at the event wanted the best for their kids, but they could use some help.
"Christmas should be for everybody," said Larry Huggins. "Not just a few, but for everybody."
That belief led Huggins to create Christmas in the Wards.
He explained how the program works: "What the alderman have to do is identify the students. They have to shop for the students. They have to giftwrap for these students, and they have to be here to give away, so without the input for these aldermen, we couldn't do it."
The event started in Englewood 27 years ago. It's grown to include 38 wards, making Christmas extra special for more than 700 families.
Every kid walked home with a bag full of gifts, bought just for him or her.
"It really means a whole lot to the kids," Shearer said.
But the biggest gifts were saved for the raffle, which included prizes like PlayStation 5s, televisions, laptops, toys, gifts many of the families couldn't afford.
When their numbers were called, there were sounds of Christmas morning echoing through McCormick Place.
"Hey! We got it!" Shearer said, when they called her number.
The Shearers picked out a 40-inch TV from the pile of presents.
"Dang! This thing is heavy!" one of the Shearer kids said.
Eletha added, "I feel happy for the kids. I was up there, couldn't decide what I wanted to get, and they kept saying, 'Get the TV! Get the TV! Get the TV!' So they got what they wanted,"
Christmas came a bit early, but it felt just the same.
"We are really happy," said Shearer, and all her family members agreed.
Organizers said Christmas in the Wards has brought Christmas to more than 19,000 families over the past 27 years.
