Event raises funds for Santa’s Workshop
Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 20 2010 11:27 PM
By Amanda Kim Stairrett
Killeen Daily HeraldPeople packed the Killeen Outback Steakhouse Tuesday afternoon for a Fort Hood charity's biggest fundraiser of the year.
Even Santa traveled south during his summer break to make an appearance at Christmas in July, which benefits Santa's Workshop, a nonprofit organization that helps military parents provide presents for their children during the holiday season.
Proceeds from Christmas in July come from ticket sales from two lunch seatings, cash donations during the event and participation in the organization's Adopt-a-Child program.
All of the food for the event, which included steak, chicken, bread, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, was donated by the Killeen Outback, which is led by proprietor Bill White. Tuesday's afternoon wait staff volunteered their time for the event and the waitresses and waiters donated their tips to Santa's Workshop.
White has hosted Christmas in July since 1998 when representatives from the 13th Sustainment Command approached him with the idea. While it started as a 13th Sustainment event, it has grown to include all of Fort Hood.
The Outback staff was excited to take care of children and soldiers, White said, and with Christmas in July, they could help both in one day.
The event typically nets between $6,000 to $7,000 for the organization, Spokeswoman Eloise Lundgren said last week.
Tickets for Christmas in July sold out earlier this week and the organization made $6,900 on those sales alone, said Joan Horning, who chaired the event.
Santa's Workshop helped more than 1,400 families and more than 3,400 children in 2009, officials said.
Many who attend Christmas in July say they were helped in the past and wanted to give back, Horning said, and others simply want to support soldiers and their families. The event is so successful, Horning went on to say, because Santa's Workshop has the reputation of "doing the right thing."
Santa's Workshop is run by volunteers who use donated money to shop year-round for toys to stock the workshop's shelves. The workshop is located at the Fort Hood Tax Center, next to the Clear Creek Commissary.
The organization also accepts donations of money or toys at any time.
Fort Hood military families with children between the ages of 6 months and 14 years can fill out application forms with their command finance specialists to determine eligibility for Santa's Workshop. Need is not based on income level, according to the organization's website.
The workshop's applications manager reviews each application and notifies the units. A family is then given an appointment to "shop" at the workshop.
Primary consideration for the program is given to active-duty, Guard and Reserve service members who are stationed at Fort Hood, according to the organization's website. Secondary consideration is given to retired service members, Department of the Army civilians and active-duty families who are not attached to Fort Hood.
Workshop officials invite companies and organizations to tour the site to see how the organization works and how contributions are inventoried and applicants are processed, according to its website. Tours are available Sept. 1 through Nov. 30.
For more information about Santa's Workshop, go to
www.swsfh.com or call (254) 287-8697.
Contact Amanda Kim Stairrett at
astair@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7547. Follow her on Twitter at KDHmilitary.