Our Story

Our Story began during the 2020 Christmas Season. In the year of COVID-19, a group of Mount Vernon City Schools’ transportation and maintenance employees wanted to do something special for kids, while also lifting the spirits of adults during the holidays.

We came up with an idea to give six elementary school students a Christmas to remember. With the pandemic affecting the finances of many families, we would donate money for a $200 shopping spree for each student. Our focus was finding students whose family may be struggling to buy gifts. With the help of each elementary school, we found students we thought might benefit the most.

We wanted to make this day as amazing as we could. So, we turned a school bus into a reindeer and sleigh. Our volunteers dressed up as elves and shopped with the kids. Santa also showed up to greet the participants and drive the sleigh! Before the event, we had a party for the participants and their families. There were snacks and stockings filled with goodies. Then we loaded our sleigh and left for Walmart. The elves shopped with each of the students and stayed with them the whole day. To our surprise, all of the kids used some of their money to buy Christmas presents for family members as well as gifts for themselves.

This was an amazing day for all. It propelled us to start a new organization called “Giving Hope Charity”. We are a charity that recognizes that positive childhood experiences create a motivation for life, a passion to pursue, a sense of identity that extends beyond family structure, and begins to unite children to their life’s purpose. Some children are not able to experience these opportunities due to their social and economic conditions. We’re changing that through programs that will inspire a child’s tomorrow.