The Amarillo Association of Realtors hosted “Cookies with Santa” event for Maverick Club
The Amarillo Association of Realtors hosted its annual “Cookies with Santa” event for more than 75 children from the Maverick Boys & Girls Club on Thursday night in Amarillo.
This event brings the Christmas spirit to the children served by the Maverick Boys & Girls Club. According to the non-profit, about 90% of the children in the program are from families who live below the poverty line.
Members of the club were treated to a pizza dinner, cookies, a meeting with Santa and an opportunity to show off their singing skills as they covered holiday classics with karaoke.
Donna Soria, CEO and executive director of the Maverick Boys & Girls Club, said she is grateful for the partnership with the association.
"We are so thankful for the Amarillo Association of Realtors for investing time and effort into organizing this annual event,” Soria said. "Cookies with Santa means so much to our kids because this might be the only Christmas some of them have.”
Jason Ault, the chairman of the Amarillo Association of Realtors, spoke about the importance of his group supporting the community.
“We feel this is a need in the community, to help children that may not have a chance to meet or see Santa to be able to ask for anything for Christmas,” Ault said. “We are very happy to work to help these children have a better Christmas. This is one of the best things we do all year.”
Ault said seeing the children enjoy this event is heartwarming to him.
“As realtors, this association does many things throughout our communities,” Ault said. “We do not just sell people houses and find people homes. We do a lot of advocacy, community relations and charitable work. We enjoy trying to improve the communities and supporting the families that live in them.”
With his association's relationships in the community, Ault said that his group tries to affect positive change in the city.
“Seeing these kids as they see Santa walk into the room is one of the best feelings in the entire world,” Ault added.
Soria said that while Christmas is a great time of the year, it can be a stressful time for kids who may be without family members.
“Our kids do not always get to experience the joy of Christmas, but today Santa is here, and these kids are just having a good time,” Soria said. “We are so grateful for having this association as partners to help our children.”
Soria said that most of the children they serve are in families that are struggling financially or do not have a father figure in their household.
"If they can come to something like this, everybody is not thinking about their next meal, or I do not have a dad,” she said. “Nobody is thinking about that tonight. Everybody is just having a wonderful, joyous time together. We love seeing these kids happy. They are all out of their shell right now and running wild, having fun. There is nothing like sugar and a bunch of kids mixed in to create a great time for kids.”
The Maverick Boys & Girls Club will be celebrating its 90th year next month, serving children of the Amarillo area.
According to Soria, the focus of the organization is to help create opportunities for children in poverty.
“We want to do whatever it takes to help these kids because poverty prevents opportunities,” Soria said. "We want to bring people in to cultivate and give these children the tools to succeed.”
According to Soria, the organization only serves about 3% of the children that need it in the Amarillo area.
“There is not a lot of afterschool care in the area, with most government-assisted programs being too restrictive to low-income families just not being able to qualify for them,” Soria said. "So, we are doing our part to keep parents employed in the workplace and give them peace of mind while we are watching their kids while they work. We focus on nutrition, education and giving students mentors and tutors to help them improve in school and beyond. We want to serve more kids that need it, but we need more funding to do this.”
Soria said she is seeking investment from the community to carry out the Maverick Boys & Girls Club mission.
“We are trying to fill in gaps, and we are honored to help families in the community,” Soria added.
To learn more about Maverick Boys & Girls Club of Amarillo, go to https://maverickclub.org/.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Santa enjoys cookies with Maverick Boys & Girls Club
