Christmas 4 Kids is Hands of Hope annual flagship community event. Formerly known as Santa’s Gift Factory, Christmas 4 Kids started in 1998 in a school in Mt. Gravatt, then moved to Inala in 2003. Now, this event is held annually on the first Saturday of December at Unidus Community Centre in Willawong, with the intention to bring Christmas joy and cheer to the local communities.

This year, it was held on Saturday, 1st December, from 10am to 2pm. Despite the high heat, we saw 289 adults and 432 children from the local communities attended the event. All children were well entertained with a wide variety of activities for every age, including rock climbing, jumping castle, tug of war and range of “old favourites” such as tic-tac-toe, throw the cans, face painting, and art & crafts.

Everyone was treated with free sausage sizzles and well-decorated Christmas desserts, which were donated by members of Hope Church Brisbane. In addition to that, every child went home that day with a Christmas present each that was given out by Hands of Hope.

There were many highlights throughout the event. Anglicare and Inala Youth Service joined us on that day to provide engaging crafts activities, as well as service information to the parents. One other highlight was when The Queensland Fire and Emergency service showed up with their fire truck and made it “rain” over the fields of Unidus Community Centre. It was such a relief from the heat. The children (and the adults) absolutely loved it. They had a great time exploring the interiors of the vehicle and taking photos with them too.

Our guests of honour of this year included Cr. Angela Owen, (Representative of Lord Mayor & Councillor of Calamvale), Cr. Steve Griffiths (Councillor of Moorooka), MP Graham Perrett and MP Milton Dick.

We want to thank our sponsor – Wolff Coffee Roasters who provided free coffee during the event and members of Hope Church Brisbane for the generous donations of toys, bicycles and baked goods. Last but definitely not least, a massive shout out to all 150 volunteers who braved the heat and brought joy and smiles on the faces of everyone who came for the event. We are immensely grateful, we really could not have made the event a success without all of your generous contributions and giving of your time and energy.

All in all, it was a fun-filled and love-filled day. We definitely cannot wait for Christmas 4 Kids 2019! We do not want you to miss out on this great opportunity in making an impact on the lives of the young ones. Join us as a volunteer to bring a smile and the Christmas spirit to the lives of many. Date and Venue for C4K 2019? email address to volunteer?