Heroes and Helpers brings joy to families
ANDREW ENRIQUEZ/Courtesy photos Hailey, 10, poses with Santa (AKA Target team member Philip Clark) in front of a Christmas tree display at the Coeur d’Alene Target store Tuesday.
Cassandra Rzepa, Idaho Army National Guard Family Assistance coordinator, acts as “secret Santa” at the “Heroes and Helpers” event held Tuesday morning at the Coeur d’Alene Target. The Target store works with Rzepa to coordinate the event, which provides local military family youths $125 each and a National Guard soldier mentor to help with Christmas shopping before the store opens.
1st Sgt. William Knapp of the Idaho Army National Guard, center, wraps a present with the help of Sgts. Preston Lea and Jacob Wood. The soldiers were the mentors to local military youths as part of the “Heroes and Helpers” event early Tuesday morning at the Coeur d’Alene Target store. (ANDREW ENRIQUEZ/Courtesy)
Sgt. Audrey Darnall of the Idaho Army National Guard and Target team member Diane Kosonen bundle presents into bags destined for underneath family Christmas trees as part of the “Heroes and Helpers” event early Tuesday morning at the Coeur d’Alene Target store. (ANDREW ENRIQUEZ/Courtesy)
Sgt. Wade Beyers of the Idaho Army National Guard helps Ashton, 6, wrap a present for a family member as part of the “Heroes and Helpers” event early Tuesday morning at the Coeur d’Alene Target store.
Soldiers from the Idaho Army National Guard dashed into the Coeur d’Alene Target store Tuesday morning to escape the cold rain and wind while waiting for some special shoppers. Twelve local children from military families participated in the fifth annual Heroes and Helpers program that pairs National Guardsmen with a child to help them shop for free gifts for their family. Target’s jolly helpers (employees volunteering their time) were on hand to help in the process, from finding the right gift to wrapping them all up.
This year $125 was budgeted for each child to spend as they wished on gifts. Funds for the event were allocated by Target at the corporate and local level as part of their community outreach.
“For Target, our mission is to help bring joy to all families,” said team leader Kristine Kaannegaard. “So, this is an exciting way we get to do this. And also, it’s been fun to see the same volunteers from both the store side and also (the Idaho Army National Guard). We see the same faces every year, which is really fun for us.”
One new face at the event was Target employee Philip Clark, AKA Santa.
“Anything to help veterans and little children,” Clark said. “It’s an awesome idea. Just watching these little ones and that they’re so excited that they’re going to do something for their family. I don’t think not a one of them talked about what they wanted for Christmas. Every one of them was saying ‘Oh, I’m gonna get this for my mom, my dad, and this for my cousin, and I was like, blown away. It’s really nice.”
Even if the kids weren’t focused on their own Christmas wishes, the soldiers they were shopping with were. Each mentor was charged with coaxing out information on what their assigned child wanted for Christmas themselves and they passed on that information to Secret Santa Cassandra Rzepa, Family Assistance coordinator for the National Guard. She and other helpers would then purchase and wrap the gifts to secret into the large bags destined for the kids’ homes.
Rzepa, a former military spouse, coordinates the event for all military branches in conjunction with Kaannegaard, herself an “Air Force brat” whose father spent many of his 22 years of service at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane.
“This program originally started as a program for children in need, but given our other (Disabled American Veterans gift-giving) program, we basically have this covered. So, this year, the theme has been for children who have active-duty service member parents who spend a lot of time at schools and training.”
“I think it’s great for the community for the kids to come out and do things with the soldiers,” said 1st Sgt. William Knapp, Idaho Army National Guard 145th Brigade Support Battalion. “It’s good for the community that invests in us to see that we’re invested as well.”
The shopping experience wrapped up with the soldiers helping cut paper, tape, label and package the gifts.
“Myself wrapping gifts, I’d rate myself as about a 3 or 4 out of 10,” joked Sgt. Preston Lea, a Rathdrum native and National Guard recruiter assigned to Post Falls and Rathdrum, “But it definitely helps me get into the spirit.”