‘Joy of Giving’: Over 5,000 Tampa kids receive gifts, three families given cars
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — ‘Joy of Giving’ kicked off Saturday morning at the Thaddeus M. Bullard Academy at Sligh Middle Magnet School.
The academy’s namesake, also known as WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil, was there with the Bullard Family Foundation to hand out gifts to over 5,000 families.
For kids of all ages, it was a memory to last a lifetime.
“I couldn’t do nothing but cry,” said Laqueda Marcelle. “I was just ecstatic and overwhelmed.”
“I didn’t expect anything like this,” she said.
It was an emotional moment – as Marcelle was one of three families that were gifted brand new cars.
Shelby Hart and her daughter Isabelle received a Toyota Corolla.
“It’ll make things easier,” Hart said. “No more busses no more walking.”
“We lost our car a few months ago and it’s nice to start over fresh,” she continued.
Her daughter added, “After all we went through we finally got a car.”
They told 8 On Your Side this gift changes everything.
“We don’t have to walk anymore and we don’t have to struggle,” Isabelle said.
‘Joy of Giving’ is an event that was started back in 2009 as a way to spread joy to the kids who need it most.
“Being one of those people who received a remote control car at 12 years old from a woman who said I bought this gift specifically for you and it was the only gift I got that year,” Thaddeus Bullard said. “I never forgot how I felt that day with the dignity that woman presented to me with the only gift I got for Christmas.”
“For some of these families, times are hard this may be the only joy they get to receive,” he continued.
Though getting a Christmas present put a smile on thousands of kids’ faces, it went beyond that.
The true goal was to change lives.
“It’s an experience,” City of Tampa Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships Janelle McGregor said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the good that’s being done in their own backyard.”
“To be able to walk away with that gift you’re going remember, but that experience of meeting Santa, hearing the bands, seeing all the excitement–that’s a memory of a lifetime,” she added.
You can donate to the Bullard Family Foundation here.
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