Children living at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, Eleanor House and those who participate with the Peace House on Kalamazoo's Eastside, will have an opportunity to make some Christmas memories along with their crafts on Dec. 14.
The City of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation Department will have a free holiday workshop for the youngsters.
Workshops will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. and youngsters who have been invited are expected to visit the Youth Development Center on Crosstown in two groups so that more youngsters can attend. About 40 are expected all together.
They will take decorate cookies, create snowmen from marshmallows and sip hot chocolate. As a craft activity they may decided to make wrapping paper. Or they may create a gift to take home. Youngsters will have their choice of a number of activities.
They will be able to take home all the things they create in Santa's Workshop.
About eight to 10 volunteers from Jeter's Leaders will be at the event Saturday to assist.
"It's a really great partnership," says Erin Zukis, program assistant for the Parks and Recreation Department.
Some youngsters are coming from Eleanor House, a homelike setting for homeless families that provides a safe haven for them as they prepare to move to independent housing. More than 60 percent of the guests there are children who average nine years of age.
Others are from the Gospel Mission, which also provides temporary housing for the homeless. It reports it has seen the number of children it is serving rise over the past year and often sees as many as 100 children each night.
The Parks and Recreation Department has offered the craft workshop for these children in past years and hopes to spread the holiday spirit to children participating again this year.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Erin Zukis, Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation
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