The Boys and Girls of Christmas
<p>Boys and Girls Club volunteer Charmaine Smith-Warden shops for clothes and durable winter shoes for a 3-year-old Christmas kid Thursday evening at Kohl’s.</p>
<p>Boys and Girls Club volunteer Matt Church helps his 13-year-old Christmas kid, Alex Mcglothen, choose a pair of winter boots Thursday evening at Kohl’s.</p>
COEUR d’ALENE — With sparkling eyes as big as saucers, Willow Riggs held up a pair of snow boots for her Boys and Girls Club volunteer to inspect.
"Ooooh, fluffy," the 9-year-old said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
She happily kicked off her shoes and sat on the department store floor, shoving her bare feet into the furry boots.
"They even look like your size," volunteer Courtney Dohnal said, checking the toe of the boots to make sure they weren't too big.
Willow zipped through Kohl's as though it was a candy store while Dohnal tried to keep up. It was the same for many of the youngsters who were treated to an afterschool shopping spree Thursday during the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County's debut Christmas for Kids event.
"I think it's special for us to be able to come and be a part of it too and get some of the Christmas spirit," Dohnal said. "I think we take life for granted and buying clothes becomes another thing on our to-do list. It's fun to see how excited they get."
About 75 Club members from the Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls locations were nominated by staff members to be recipients of the $100 shopping sprees. Development director Kristin Andre said staff members were tasked with keeping an eye out for members who could use a little boost this holiday season.
"We have ones who come in every single day, they're wearing the same clothes, there are holes in their clothes, they don't have winter boots," she said. "We don't know what's going on at home. To see these kids who maybe wouldn't have a Christmas without us stepping in and nothing to unwrap on Christmas morning, it just breaks our heart."
The Club collected nearly $18,000 from generous organizations and benefactors to provide the selected kiddos with the shopping sprees and fully loaded grocery boxes to carry their families through the holiday season. Many siblings were also included, for a total of about 110 Christmas for Kids participants.
"It's been really incredible how the community has gotten on board sponsoring families, sponsoring kids," Andre said. "For us, these kids and these families, they're our family. We view Boys and Girls Club as one big family, whether from Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls."
Volunteer Nick Shriner wandered through the store with his 12-year-old Christmas kid, who wanted to find boots for his baby brother.
"It's been awesome," Shriner said. "It's been fun getting to know him and help him out. It's fantastic and it's something they should keep doing every year and get more volunteers and more kids out for it."
Andre said Club staff drew inspiration for Christmas for Kids from the Kroc Center's Operation: Clothe A Child program, which also provides shopping outings for kids who need it most.
Today, the presents will be wrapped and the food will be organized and picked up or dropped off with the Club members and their families.
"Every kid should have a Christmas," Andre said. "Every kid should have something to open. We are so thankful the community has rallied around us."