OMG! I am so excited to announce that Kids Wish Network has been chosen as the Charity of Choice for CSX! Kids Wish will literally be “Santa’s little helper” while participating in The Santa Train event, and it’s such an honor!

The Santa Train is an annual event that goes through the Appalachian Mountains where volunteers from Kingsport, TN take tons of gifts, toys and food to needy families in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Did you know that The Santa Train is the world’s largest Santa Parade, which is 110 miles en route?

I am so honored to be able to part of this huge event. I promise to keep everyone posted as the event draws near, so keep watching for my blogs!!!

Barbara
Director of Distribution

This morning when I came in it was business as usual. I said good morning to everyone and sat down in my office to begin my day. As I worked through my pile of surveys, emails, etc. I came across one of the most heart warming surveys yet. We recently gave a gift bank to a facility that cares for abused children. A precious little girl at the tender age of 4 had been to the center for a full abuse assessment as well as a comprehensive medical exam. After a little while had passed the little girl kept asking her mom to go to “the doctor”. Confused by what the child was trying to get at, the child began to describe the safe center. All the little girl wanted to do was play at the children’s waiting room. The mother called the center and, of course, they gave a thumbs-up on the visit.

The facility was so grateful to Kids Wish Network for the gift bank full of toys and activities that we had sent them and explained that our help makes it possible for these innocent children to have a safe place to play. My heart was so overjoyed at the thought of a child so excited to go back to a place where she can play and have fun after all she had to endure. This just made my week! Receiving letters like these makes us want to work even harder for these wonderful children! Toys heal wounds!

Barbara Askin
Director of Distribution

I am so excited to be part of the local gift bank program that we do here at Kids Wish Network. This is my second Holiday Season that I am preparing for with local facilities that house homeless and abused children. The need for toys and items for them is tremendous this year and Kids Wish Network will be able to spread the joy of the season to many children who might not even have a chance to have a holiday.

It is a wonderful feeling to get up every day knowing that I have the chance to bring a smile to a hurting child’s face or to give someone hope. It’s a privilege to be able to work alongside my awesome co-workers and do what we do everyday!!

Heather
Distribution Department

I just got a phone call from a gentleman in TN. It was such a joy to speak with him about our Hero and Gift Bank programs! You could just hear the excitement in his voice and he couldn’t wait to join!! It really is a great feeling when you connect with other people across the country who enjoy doing the same thing you do – making one more child’s day just a little bit better!