2017 Holiday With a Hero Begins: Carson City fundraiser provides Christmas to local homeless children

The 14th annual Holiday With a Hero campaign is officially underway. The goal is to give at least 200 homeless children in Carson City a holiday gift to remember by presenting them with a $100 gift card to spend during a special shopping spree at Walmart.

This charity program is designed around the generosity of Carson City citizens, businesses and corporations. All of the money raised goes to gift cards for the Carson City students in need.

A holiday pub crawl will be held on Dec. 2 in Downtown Carson City with all proceeds from ticket sales being sent to the effort. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a 4 p.m. check-in at The Studio at Adams Hub (177 West Proctor Street). Tickets will be $25 at check-in, or $20 if purchased ahead of time at the Carson City Visitor’s Bureau. Purchase tickets online by clicking here.
Holiday Crawl participants must be 21 or older with valid ID.

The Holiday With a Hero program is co-organized by Carson City Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Daniel Gonzales, Carson City School District, Carson City Courts, Department of Corrections, and local fire departments. The outreach of this program, however, goes far beyond the local participating agencies by engaging the entire community.

“The people of Carson City monetarily support giving these kids a Christmas. It’s heartwarming to know that I live in a community that believes and cares,” said Gonzales.

He made it clear that while the participation from public service agencies is vast and provides the vital foot power required, the focus is on the community and above all the homeless students in need.

“This is a community event, and the community always steps up,” he said.

Any Carson City agency, company, or small business is encouraged to help in the effort by forming micro-fundraiser events. Local clubs, groups, teams, etc.. can also join in by hosting a fundraising event. Hypothetically, 50 small fundraisers with a $500 goal could raise the $25,000 needed.

“Social media. Push it out,” said Gonzales. Those that may not have funds available to make a donation can still help the students in other ways like promoting the holiday pub crawl or sharing information about Holiday with A Hero on social media. “Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your friends, and family,” said Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon.

The Holiday with a Hero project pairs children from kindergarten through 5th grade with law enforcement officers, firefighters, members of the U.S. military and public officials, school district and community volunteers. The event provides each child a gift card to shop for things they need such as clothing and shoes as well as a toy to call their own.

The students have been identified as part of the McKinney-Vento program through the Carson City School District. This program helps children who’s families are identified as homeless, living in shelters, motel rooms and not having permanent homes, said Peggy Sweetland, special projects coordinator and McKinney-Vento students in transition liaison for the Carson City School District.

The McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act is a federal law that ensures immediate enrollment and educational stability for homeless children and youth. McKinney-Vento provides federal funding to states for the purpose of supporting district programs that serve homeless students.

On Dec. 20, students will be paired with volunteers who will lead them on the shopping spree. Santa Claus will land at Walmart via Care Flight, where the children will meet with him and then shop using their gift card alongside a public service hero volunteer.

The community is urged to deliver their donations to the following locations between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Make checks payable to "Holiday With a Hero."

Deliver your donation to one of the following locations
— The Carson City Sheriff’s Office administration building, 911 East Musser Street.
— Carson City Fire Department, Station 51, 777 South Stewart Street.
— The Carson City School District - Students In Transition, 604 West Musser Street
— Bank of the West, 2976 N Carson Street between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Mail checks to:
Carson City Sheriffs Office
C/O Holiday with a Hero
911 East Musser St.
Carson City, NV 89701

Businesses interested in supporting the Holiday Crawl event can e-mail holidaywithahero@gmail.com for more information.