In December 2020, Santa came to town in Midlothian, Illinois, to fulfill the Christmas wishes of a mother and her two young children. Random Acts supporter Kari Zohfeld stepped in to play the role of Old Saint Nicholas by delivering gifts bought with funds from Random Acts.
Looking for a Christmas Miracle
In the summer of 2020, Kari’s friend lost her husband unexpectedly. Since then, she has worked diligently as a single mother of two kind, respectful young children. It has solely been her job to nurture the kids. This means cooking all the meals, cleaning the house, and managing school and extracurricular activities — all amidst a global pandemic. Additionally, Kari’s friend has had her own personal care and work schedule to manage.
In the blink of an eye, Kari’s friend found herself in a tense situation. With Christmas fast approaching, she realized she would likely have to choose between covering the last of her December bills or buying holiday presents for her two kids.
If you have not had this experience, it can be hard to imagine the kind of emotional, mental, and physical toll this can take on a person. Kari’s friend was feeling distressed, determined, resigned, and a whole host of conflicting emotions that can sometimes result in short or long-term stress and physical discomfort.
After confiding in Kari, the friend and mother of two thought that would be the end of the discussion. There would absolutely still be a lovely Christmas celebration! The holiday spirit is always with you as long as you are with the people you love. This year’s celebration would simply skip the gifts and focus on cherishing each other.
Santa Comes to Town
However, Kari saw a chance to help her friend and the two children have a special holiday after an emotionally draining year. With help from Susan
Mickelson, Random Acts Regional Representative, US – Great Lakes, Kari completed a kindness proposal requesting funds to buy Christmas gifts for the family.
Soon enough, the funds were in Kari’s mailbox and she was off to buy presents with the children’s letters in hand! Without a doubt, Kari knew she would do everything in her power to make this a memorable Christmas for her friend and the children. At the store, Kari picked out a variety of toys carefully selected from the children’s wish lists.
After wrapping the gifts, Kari passed them off to the children, who could not wait for Santa’s arrival. The two kids spoke with Kari excitedly about their own wishes and asked about Kari’s letter to Santa, too.
Of course, the children were grateful to Santa for their wonderful Christmas gifts! Most importantly, they were grateful to celebrate a meaningful holiday with each other and their mother. For Kari, the best part was seeing their smiles as they opened presents. She knew she had given them much more than just toys. She had helped give her friend’s family the best Christmas together.
Want to be like Kari and connect with your Regional Representative? Find your local liaison here or get a running start and complete an application today to receive funding for your kindness act!
No project in mind? We also have a few vacancies available if you would like to commit to spreading kindness as a volunteer. Alternatively, please consider donating to our general kindness fund to support acts like Kari’s!
