Santa Came Early for 200 Kids at Villa-Parke’s Annual Toy Giveaway

Santa came early for approximately 200 kids and their families Tuesday night at Villa-Parke’s annual toy giveaway that celebrated the holiday season and gave Pasadena’s youth ear to ear smiles in addition to brand new toys donated by Foursquare Church.

“This event is a part of the holiday season. It’s important that we give back to those families that might be in need and if we’re able to that on behalf of the community—we want to,” said Villa Parke’s Bill Davis.

The annual event was a joint effort between the staff at Villa Parke and the Pasadena Foursquare Church and featured family fun in the form of face painting, balloon animals, food and the most popular attraction of the evening— a photo op with Santa Claus himself.

“We’re hoping for a time of community to celebrate the holidays together. We’re a multi-generational community and we want to bring a sense of hospitality to families in Pasadena,” said Pasadena Foursquare Church Youth Pastor Max Boyle.

The toy giveaway featured volunteers courtesy of City of Pasadena Youth Ambassadors, a Villa Parke Library station and art activities made possible by the creative minds from The Armory Center for The Arts.

“Tonight is exciting and fun for me and my kids. To know that people care about them and want them to have toys to play with for Christmas is just a really special thing,” said Marybel Cisneros, mother of two. “It’s also their first time seeing Santa. They’ve been excited and talking about it all day before we came here.”

Toys were generously donated for boys and girls ages 3-12 years by the Pasadena Foursquare Church and the ADP Innovation Center and included Nerf guns, remote control cars, Lego sets, art kits, fashion accessory kits and more.

“The Toy Giveaway is close to our heart here at Villa Park. We enjoy volunteering and making this happen because we love giving back. It’s a priceless feeling to see so many kids and their families happy together under one roof,” said event organizer John Chacon.