Holiday Celebration for School on Wheels Families
On December 12, 2016 a group of Royal United Mortgage LLC. volunteers put together a Holiday Celebration with community partner School on Wheels in Indianapolis. The children and their families gathered for the holiday party at The Salvation Army Barton Center.
The Royal United Mortgage LLC. team donated gifts for 31 children. Each child was able to open one gift at the event. The remaining gifts were taken home to be opened on Christmas. New for this year was a Secret Santa gift donation. A gift room was set up where the School on Wheels children could pick a gift and wrap them for their parents. The Secret Santa gifts included items such as, blankets, lotion, beauty products, mugs, and scarfs.
One unique and fun thing our team coordinated was taking and printing family photos. The kids really enjoyed having their holiday photos taken and it gives them something to look back at to remember this fun family time during the holidays. There was also a craft station set up where the children decorated frames for their photos.
While festive holiday music played in the background, the attendees were treated to a catered meal provided by City Barbeque. There were also sugar cookies the kids got to decorate and enjoy.
Here’s what our team of volunteers had to say about the event.
“So grateful to be part of the evening we had with the families at Barton. With your help, I thought everything went so smoothly. The decorating of the tree and gifts under it for each child was priceless. The Secret Santa shop was set up beautifully and was such a hit.” –Cindy
I was so impressed by the children that were there! They were smart and polite and helped each other throughout the evening. Such great kids! I know that RUM’s efforts provided them with a very special night with their family, which they will remember all year. The littlest kids loved the cookie decorating station, the pre-teens seemed to have a lot of fun decorating photo frames, and the older kids really loved being able to pick out presents for their parents. Of course, everyone loved the family photos and catered BBQ, and I’ll never forget how excited everyone was with their presents. It was truly a magical event that I will very much look forward to doing again next year. – Julia
My experience with School on Wheels was great! I had a great time interacting with the children and being able to provide a great holiday party for them to participate in. I could tell that all the children had a really great time eating and decorating their cookies! I was honored to be able to provide them with something to open on Christmas day as well! I look forward to helping out next year. – Kyla
Seeing a great company wide effort come together so beautifully first-hand was a perfect exclamation to a remarkable 2016! I truly believe Royal United Mortgage has a civic duty to uplift the community it serves in all things, and we respond every time. Looking forward to next year, there is no doubt that we will do even more in way of unique and innovative activities that get everyone in holiday spirit! – Marcus
Schools on wheels Christmas party is one of the most fulfilling outreach events of the year. It is a time to share the joy and true meaning of Christmas giving. All the children are so excited to share food with friends and family, decorate cookies, and make frames for their family picture. This year we added the Secret Santa room for the kids to pick out presents for their parents and the excitement on their faces was precious. And the gratitude from the parents made me realize how much we are appreciated by this group of individuals. – Marcy
This was my 2nd year helping with the School on Wheels holiday party and it got better! It was exciting to see the kids excited for us to be there. I could really tell they all were looking forward to the family pictures, sweet cookies, gifts, and more. Having the platform with RUM to make a difference and impact the lives of those who experience difficult times is the best feeling ever! – Mylanna
This was just an overall nice experience for everyone involved. The parents were able to sit back and enjoy their meals while the kids played and decorated cookies and frames. I think sometimes we forget that helping someone can be as simple as just spending some time with them. So glad I was able to be a part of this event! I’m looking forward to doing it again next year! – Nicholas
To be part of something greater than myself and seeing a burden lifted off of these mothers’ shoulders gave me much joy. For this reason, I was able to help out the parents who just wanted their child or children to have a Christmas meant so much more to them than the kids could ever understand. Being able to help that dream come true through Royal United Mortgage was a blessing. – Victoria
“It’s was a gift to volunteer at the School on Wheels Holiday celebration. Giving to those in our community who need support and ensuring the School on Wheels kids and families have a warm holiday is significant. I could tell by the children’s reactions how meaningful our contributions and donations really were. It’s so gratifying to know that I work with a team who has the capacity and enthusiasm to sponsor such an impactful event.” –Kati
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Check out this article from School on Wheels about the event…
http://indyschoolonwheels.org/events/family-fun-at-the-royal-united-mortgage-holiday-celebration/
Written By: Royal United Mortgage LLC. Blog Team
Published: 12/20/2016