A local managed IT provider’s charitable foundation brought Christmas joy to homeless families by fulfilling every item on children’s wish lists this holiday season.
- Bit-Wizards’ Be the Magic Foundation partnered with Fresh Start For Children & Families to provide gifts for 34 children from 17 families. The foundation’s team spent more than two weeks collecting and organizing 302 presents, ranging from classic playsets to high-tech toys.
Fresh Start For Children & Families provides educational, vocational, and economic housing programs to help homeless families achieve self-sufficiency. Many of these families are working to rebuild their financial independence, making holiday gift-giving difficult.
Bit-Wizards staff members wrapped each gift and delivered them to Fresh Start. While the foundation has supported Fresh Start previously, this year’s contribution was their largest to date.
Vince Mayfield, president of Be the Magic Foundation, shared his personal connection to the cause.
- “As a child of an enlisted active-duty military member in the 70s and 80s, I grew up understanding the value of hard work and sacrifice,” Mayfield said. “My parents didn’t have much disposable income, but my mother made sure our birthdays and Christmases were magical.”
Mayfield noted that many Fresh Start families have fled difficult circumstances with minimal possessions or have been living in their cars. For the past four years, Bit-Wizards and TalkingParents have worked to bring Christmas joy to these families.
“Our entire team comes together to fulfill their wish lists, carefully wrapping and delivering gifts so that these children and parents can feel valued, regain hope, and experience the magic of the season as they work toward self-sufficiency,” he said. “It’s an honor to give back and help create a Christmas they’ll always remember.”