Local community heroes gathered together Wednesday morning for the annual “Holiday with a Hero” event in which members of law enforcement, fire fighters, military personnel, and more, join together with Walmart to take local children on Christmas shopping trips to fill their wish lists.
Santa arrived in style sans reindeer, but instead chose to fly in by helicopter which landed in the Walmart auto center parking lot amidst cheers from children and heroes alike.
Many of the children were overheard asking for essentials like warm clothing, underwear, and hygiene products, which I personally felt humbled by.
There was also a lot of “watch that cart we don’t want to have to report a crash” and “we only have to call the cops if there’s a third party witness” jokes being flung back and forth between heroes, as is to be expected.
Holiday With a Hero has been helping give Carson City kids a proper Christmas for 15 years — long enough to see some of its earlier recipients come back to provide their own assistance.
Sponsored by the Carson City School District, the Carson City Sheriff's Office and the Carson City Fire Department, Holiday With a Hero is a program that ensures underprivileged children in Carson City have a proper Christmas. Donations are collected and dispersed as Walmart gift cards to designated and prequalified students in the McKinney-Vento program.
Carson City Sheriff's Sergeant Daniel Gonzales has been spearheading this program since its infancy. This year, they received their largest donation of $10,001 by Nevada fencing.
The children are bussed in by volunteers and paired with a local hero who takes them on their shopping trip.
“Without this program, their needs wouldn’t be met. Without this program, they wouldn’t have gifts,” Sgt. Gonzales said. “For a lot of these children, this is the only Christmas they are going to get.”
For more information on Holiday with a Hero, please click here.
