Fundraiser adds holiday fun

Dave Brooks

There was one thing Johnny Gillet really wanted to get during his

free shopping spree -- a present for his brother.

Gillet was one of about 60 children to participate in the annual

Clothe the Children event at the Huntington Beach Wal-Mart Saturday.

The annual event, sponsored by the Kiwanis club of Huntington Beach,

raises $6,000 to buys clothes and holiday gifts for children in the

community, who are referred by social workers at the Salvation Army.

Volunteers from the Kiwanis club took Gillet through the store and

helped him stock up on winter jackets, shoes, pants -- even a few

toys. But before the 10-year-old Perry Elementary School student

finally checked out, he made sure to grab a gift for his 13-year-old

brother, Ryan.

“I’m really proud that he did that,” his mother Leslie Gillet

said. “He’s not just thinking of himself.”

With winter on its way Leslie Gillet said she felt reassured

knowing her son would have adequate clothing.

“I just think it’s wonderful that they’re doing this for us,” she

said. “And we had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Johnny said. “I really like that they had

people going around the store with us.”

Kiwanians including City Atty. Jennifer McGrath and former Oak

View Elementary School Principal George Williams helped escort the

children through the shopping process. Each child was given $110 to

spend on clothing -- money partly raised by Kiwanis’ fundraisers and

partly donated by the retail store -- as well as a toy and a Polaroid

picture with Santa Claus. If they wanted a shopping break, the

children were invited to the small McDonald’s restaurant inside

Wal-Mart for some juice and doughnuts.

“Things are going so wonderfully today and everyone is so happy,”

event coordinator Nouha Hreish said. “This is one of the ways we can

make a difference. Some of these kids have never bought new clothes

before. They’ve been given hand-me-downs their entire life.”

Some local companies, like Pacific Premier Bank, sent staff

members to help out. Wal-Mart employees came in early to participate

in the event, which began at 6:30 a.m.

“Kiwanis’s mission is to serve the children of the world,” Hreish

said. “To do that, we must begin locally and do our best to provide

for the children in our own communities.”

The charity atmosphere of the event even rubbed on the children

participants, like Johnny.

“What’s impressed me is that many of these kids are using this as

a chance to give to each other,” McGrath said. “That seems to be the

big thing this year.”