AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Santa's helpers are working early this year. Saturday was the annual Eveline Rivers Christmas Project benefit to help raise donations for those children less fortunate in our area.
Though Christmas day is still 4 months away, the Eveline Rivers Christmas Project is already preparing.
“Tonight is our big fundraiser for the Eveline Rivers Christmas Project,” said Wyndella Kelly Co-chair for the Christmas Project. “It’s called ‘Santa in the Summer’ and it's just a time for us to raise money in the summer so Eveline has the funds to provide for kids when its Christmas time, or to give school supplies to kids in need. And also coats in the winter. We're just down here having a good time to raise money for her so she can do those things.”
Donations this year have been low, and though the need list seems never ending, officials with the Eveline Rivers Christmas project are confident the panhandle spirit will pull through once again.
Eveline Rivers founder of the Christmas Project said, “We need crayons, coloring books, and school supplies and glue and young children’s reading books, desperate, desperate for those. We need gloves to keep our children’s hands warm lots of pencils. 24-count crayons, very important to us, those types of things would help us to go a long ways for things we need.”
Eveline's hopes are to help more than 9,500 children and put coats at least 4,500 this year.
Kelly said, “I was always blessed to have a family, and have Christmas and if there is a kid out there who doesn’t have a Christmas or who doesn’t have a warm coat to wear, I want to be able to help somebody like Eveline to provide that for those children.” It's thanks to you, the Christmas project is going strong for 33 years.
"We love Amarillo, they are so supportive of us," said Rivers.
If you'd like to make a donation you can do so at the Eveline Rivers workshop on 4th and Jefferson or call at 372-3985.
