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By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Kansas City Kansas’ biggest feel-good story of the holiday season played out at Kansas City Kansas Community College Wednesday night when a record 345 families turned out for the 11th annual “Christmas in the City.”

An estimated 1,175 kids, parents and grandparents lined college halls for more than two hours waiting their opportunity to select from a wide array of toys, games, bicycles and tricycles and assorted other gifts including turkey dinners, bed spreads, back packs, goody bags and stocking stuffers.

“It was a great evening,” said Stacy Tucker, Director of KCKCC Honors Education. “We had a lot of happy kids and gave away all the bicycles and tricycles and most everything else.”

A joint venture of the AFL-CIO Tri-County Labor Council, the KCK Housing Authority, Board of Public Utilties and KCKCC’s Phi Theta Kappa Honors Chapter, the event was open to children 13 years and younger living in Section 8 and Public Housing in KCK. KCKCC students, faculty and staff began working on the event at 9 a.m. in preparation for the record 375 families who had pre-registered.

“Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) does this every year but it really touches a lot of people in the community,” said Tucker, who coordinated the event with Paula Draves, Director of Section 8 for the KCK Housing Authority, and Judy Gifford, the AFL-CIO Community Service Liaison with the Tri-Labor Council and United Way of Wyandotte County.

Members of the PTK Chapter made up nearly half of the 75-80 volunteers assisting in the mammoth project.

“The students really enjoy it. We have some who come back to help year after year after they’ve graduated,” said Tucker.

“This is a big part of Christmas for the majority of families who attend,” said Draves, “The families are very appreciative of what everyone in the community does for them. It could not be done without the collaboration of our partners.”

“I thought it was awesome,” said Sandi Becker, a professional assistant in the KCKCC Honors Program helping with the event for the first time. The kids all had fun, especially the younger ones. Just to see the look on their faces when they got a look at all those toys was a blast.

“The kids were just adorable. I helped one little boy about 18 months old and he picked up the first thing he saw. I told him that he could have anything he wanted so when he got to the tractors and Tonka trucks, he put the other toy back and got what he really wanted. It’s a lot of work but oh my gosh, it’s so much fun.”

No Christmas would be complete without Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and each child had the opportunity to confide their Christmas wishes to the world’s most popular couple. In addition, there was face painting, story tellers and a bit of magic.   

Groups of approximately 10-15 families at a time were ushered into two levels of the Jewell Center where each child had a volunteer assist in picking out a toy, bicycle or tricycle.

Toys – an estimated 1,200 – were donated by the U.S. Marines “Toys for Tots” program while the KCK Board of Public Utilities provided the older children gift certificates and a choice of electronic games, MP3 players, footballs, basketballs and other older age toys.

Turkey dinners were provided 100 families by the Shrine Koran Temple 33 and Motorcyle Club along with goody bags containing microwave popcorn, granola bars, Rice Krispie treats, fruit snacks and candy.  

Each family also received a new bedspread or a backpack of school supplies from the AFL-CIO Tri-County Labor Council, which also provided 180 new bicycles and tricycles.

Unions making them available included Plumbers Local 8, Pipefitters 533, Roofers Local 20, Sprinkler Fitters, Steel Workers Local 13, Greater Kansas City Building Trades Teamsters 541, Laborers 1290, UAW Locals 249 (Ford Claycomo plant) and Local 31 (GM Fairfax plant) and private donors.

Also partnering in the giant undertaking were the Wyandotte County Juvenile Court, Office of the Inspector General, Unicare and Children’s Mercy Family Health Partners.

PHOTO: Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand to listen to the Christmas wishes of countless children at the 11th annual “Christmas in the City” at KCKCC Dec. 16. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins)

NOTE: More photos from Alan Hoskins will be posted soon.