I would like to give appreciation for the support received from all who made the fourth annual District A Christmas Give-away with Santa a very successful one. This year, we were graced with the presence of Mrs. Claus. The participation of this event is much more than we expected and the positive feedback we received is very humbling and encouraging.

First of all, I thank the children, parents, and guests for their presence and bringing about the true spirit of Christmas. The event was well attended, with over 150 children along with their parents throughout District A, as well as other parts of the city, that participated.

The event began with a prayer by Minister Carl Magee, followed by the reading of the Nativity Story by Christmas Angel Gretchen Burris. Children selected toys of their choice, starting with age 3 and up. Intermittently, 18 bikes and an array of animated stuffed animals were randomly gifted to the children, as well as a fruit basket, a turkey, and a ham randomly given to a parent.

The festivities also included Christmas caroling led by Bogalusa’s own football great Josh Robinson, a delicious lunch served, and the event finalized with a visit with Mrs. Santa Claus as parents enjoyed personal photo session of their children with Mrs. Claus.

I offer a big thank you to Dr. Raymond E. Mims Sr., Pastor and First Lady Mims, and the Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church family for their support. The atmosphere during the event gave everyone a warm feeling of fellowship bringing the community together.

Humbly, my sincere thanks to the following individuals (Christmas Helpers and Angels) that worked tirelessly and the activities in numerous ways and were equally responsible for bringing it to a success. They took up various responsibilities (such as, transporting and organizing the children’s gifts, distributing gifts, preparing, and serving food, and the clean up crew). They are: Anita Brown, Kasie Brown, Gretchen Brown, Kenya Brown, Lillie Brown, Justin Brown, Sara Brown, Shaundra Causey, Amy Cotton, Robert Francis, Regina Greely (Mrs. Claus), Deitra Mixon, LaDerriica Morris, and Eric and Stephanie Yarbrough.

I greatly appreciate their hard work and helping in this event without any reservation. Finally, a special thank you for donations of Secret Santa gifts of six bikes and a doll, five children’s toys from Council member Tamira Smith, and two bikes from the mayor’s office.

I hope that everyone had a happy and blessed holidays.

Gloria Kates is the Bogalusa City Council member for District A, is serving as council president in 2018, and was the sponsor of the Christmas Give-away.