Austin Tax & Financial is working hard to make this holiday season merry and bright for families who are struggling financially. For the past nine years Sharon and Tom Austin have worked with their clients to stock the shelves of Wonderland Toy Store. They started their involvement by asking client to bring a toy or gift card to a client appreciation party. The clients would receive a poinsettia at the end of the party for their involvement. This year they want to invite the community to be a part of this holiday tradition that enables area families to afford to shop for their children for Christmas.
“We got involved with Wonderland in their second year of operation because I just really liked the concept of what they were doing. At Wonderland people can come shop and buy what they know their kids would like but for pennies on the dollar. But more importantly, with their dignity left intact because they are participating and doing the shopping for their children,” explains Tom.
Wonderland Toy Store, a program of Mosaic CCDA, provides a special Christmas shopping experience for families in Benton Harbor, and individuals in the surrounding areas, who are unable to afford gifts for their children.
As Wonderland Toy Store explains it, “Imagine you are a parent with children at home, and your finances are tight. Maybe you’ve recently lost your job, or you’ve been unemployed for some time, you wonder how you are going to pay the bills, let alone provide Christmas for your family. Then, somehow, an organization has gotten your name, and well-meaning strangers show up at your door, bearing Christmas gifts for your family. You are grateful, but a part of you is wishes you could have purchased gifts for your own children.”
The Wonderland Toy Store was born as a partnership between those with financial resources and those who are struggling to gift the giving experience to parents. It empowers both groups as they work together by providing a positive feeling of self-worth for struggling families. At Wonderland parents get to pick out gifts for their children and financially contribute toward those gifts.
Tom, who is also on the board for Mosaic CCDA, says it has been incredible seeing first-hand how impactful it is to be a part of this meaningful holiday experience.
“The Holidays tend to make us more reflective on our own lives and reach out towards others in need. It has been a hard time this year for many families with rising inflation, a volatile stock market, and a country that has been divided,” he says. “Helping families in need of assistance right now is important, not just for them, but for those of us that are in a position to help. As we move into the holiday season, our hope is that we can look back at the year and find those things in our life to be thankful for. We want to help all families have those thankful moments also while letting them know their community cares.”
Items needed for the toy store are new toys for kids 12 and under (unwrapped with price tag still attached if possible) and Meijer and Walmart gift cards in $25 and $50 increments for 13- to 18-year-old children. To donate items to the Austin Tax & Financial Wonderland Toy Store drive, bring the gift cards and unwrapped toys for boy and girls of the age groups listed above to their office at 715 Columbia Avenue in St. Joe between December 5th and the 14th from 9am to 5pm. Poinsette’s will be available on a first come first serve basis, but the feeling of helping your neighbors in need will last a lifetime.
By Julee Lauret
MOTM Contributor
