ST. GEORGE — Hundreds of volunteers flooded into Bloomington Wal-Mart in St. George Wednesday evening to ensure that children selected from across Washington County don’t go without a Christmas this holiday season.
On a clear and chilly Wednesday evening, many volunteers crowded into the Bloomington Wal-Mart to participate in the shopping phase of the Kony Coins for Kids program.
The line of volunteers, from church groups to groups of friends and families stretched from the western entrance of the store down the exterior wall of the storefront.
Volunteers were placed in teams to shop for lists of specific toys and clothes requested for the families.
The effort was part of Kony Coins for Kids, a community-based charity that raises many thousands of dollars every year to purchase Christmas presents for children.
In addition to raising money each year, Kony Coins for Kids also organizes a massive community volunteer effort to purchase presents from local retailers, wrap them, and then deliver them to those needy families.
Kony Coins for Kids is a project that began in 1990 when radio personality, Carl Lamar, with the help of others at Kony 99.5 FM, decided to raise money on his radio show to help a family in need.
In its first year, in 1990, Coins for Kids raised $2,500 to help buy presents for 10 area families.
This year, volunteers raised nearly $110,000, providing Christmas for over 1,500 kids in Washington County, with over 1,200 being shopped for Wednesday night and another 300 children taken care of through donated toys, Lamar said.
Everything the organization uses for the operation from wrapping paper and tape to space at the Dixie Center St. George where the presents are sorted, wrapped and staged for delivery is funded and accomplished through donations and volunteers.
All purchases were loaded into three large U-Haul trucks waiting in front of the store and moved to the Dixie Center for wrapping Friday beginning at 8 a.m.
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Volunteers flooded the Bloomington Wal-Mart to shop for needy families selected to benefit through Kony Coins for Kids, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Each team shopped for a family, large or small, and was given a list of requested items in the Kony Coins for Kids program. Bloomington Wal-Mart, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Each team shopped for a family, large or small, and was given a list of requested items in the Kony Coins for Kids program. Bloomington Wal-Mart, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Church groups, social groups and family groups shopped for children selected to benefit from the Kony Coins for Kids program Wednesday. Bloomington Wal-Mart, St. George, Utah, Ded. 16, 2015|Photo by Cody Blowers
Volunteers flooded the Bloomington Wal-Mart to shop for needy families selected to benefit through Kony Coins for Kids, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Volunteers lined up at the Bloomington Wal-Mart to shop for needy families selected to benefit through Kony Coins for Kids, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Volunteers were placed in teams to shop with lists of specific toys and clothes requested for the families selected to benefit from the Kony Coins for Kids program, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Chase Landon and company from Kony Country 99.9 at the Kony Coins for Kids shopping event at Bloomington Wal-Mart Wednesday, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Kony Country 99.9 station van in front of Bloomington Wal-Mart for the Coins for Kids shopping event Wednesday, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Kony Coins for Kids volunteers were assigned families they were to purchase gifts for at the Bloomington Wal-Mart Wednesday, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Three U-Haul trucks parked in front of Bloomington Wal-Mart Wednesday waiting to transport presents purchased for the Kony Coins for Kids program, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
Kony Country 99.9 station van in front of Bloomington Wal-Mart for KONY Coins for Kids Shopping, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
95.9 KZHK The Hawk showed support at Bloomington Wal-Mart with Kony Coins for Kids shopping event, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
KZHK 95.9 The Hawk station van in front of Bloomington Wal-Mart for Kony Coins for Kids, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Three U-Haul trucks parked in front of Bloomington Wal-Mart Wednesday waiting to transport presents purchased for the Kony Coins for Kids program, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers
A line of volunteers Wednesday extended outside the west entrance of the Bloomington Wal-Mart for the Kony Coins for Kids shopping event, St. George, Utah, Dec. 16, 2015| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cody Blowers was raised in South San Francisco, California. A 2013 graduate of Colorado Technical University, Cody earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in paralegal studies. Through the course of her academic studies she discovered that writing is her true passion, and she is committed to providing credible, integrated news coverage. Cody joined St. George News in 2015, and when she’s not busy chasing the news, she can generally be found chasing her young granddaughter, Kali.
This whole program is wonderful. Thanks to all the volunteers and donators for their time and effort to give hope to families! Merry Christmas to all!
Christmas is a lie ! you know that right ? Christmas should be on April 1st. because ‘April’s Fools Day’ is the perfect name for it.