Merry Christmas - In July!
Jim Palmer
CEO, President, Board Member, C-Level Executive, Servant Leader, Elected Official, Presidential Appointee
For seven years running, Orange County Rescue Mission’s Village of Hope campus has been transformed into a Christmas-themed celebration – in July! This wonderful event is not only a great way for the community to contribute to caring for the Least, the Last, and the Lost by donating necessities, but it is also a joy-filled day for families to have fun and make memories together.
It was a scene of joyful festivities on the Village of Hope campus: the courtyard was filled with booths manned by volunteers and full of fun activities, including Minute-to-Win-It games, Christmas cookie decorating, a photo booth, and even a Nintendo Switch tournament!
But this event would not be possible without our Event Sponsors and Partners, along with almost 200 volunteers!
Each year, Peter Brakke of Chick-Fil-A in the Tustin District and John Patterson dealerships, along with Tustin Auto Center all collect items for donation throughout the month of July at their places of business. Chik-fil-A restaurant provides a delicious meal for everyone in attendance. And this year, John Patterson made a big push to raise funds for this event at the grand re-opening of his Huntington Beach dealership! The leadership and dedication of Peter Brakke and John Patterson have made this event a success, year after year.
This year Union Bank joined Christmas in July as an Event Sponsor. We are grateful for their participation, because their sponsorship makes it possible for us to provide this family event that brings enjoyment to life at Village of Hope. Event Partners, Tustin Boys and Girls Club, also joined us for the seventh year in a row!
And we are blown away by the community’s generosity! On the day of the event alone, we received donations of 2,822 pounds of food, 427 pounds of clothing and 1,746 pounds of hygiene items and toys, for a total of 5,040 pounds of donated items!
I want to say a big thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers that came out to serve with fun activities for the families of the Village of Hope, as well as our incredible Event Sponsor, Union Bank, and Event Partners, Chick-Fil-A at the Tustin District, Boys and Girls Club of Tustin, and Tustin Auto Center. Merry Christmas (in July)!