One of the biggest holiday toy and resource giveaways in Los Angeles County this year, the 1st Annual Christmas in Compton Toy Giveaway, is on Sunday, Dec. 21. The event will take place at the Compton/Woodley Airport at 901 W. Alondra Blvd. Compton, CA 90220 and will have a Winter Wonderland theme.
The event is led by the Wins and Lessons Foundation with a coalition of other grassroots organizations, community members, returning citizens, philanthropists, former NFL players and youth advocates.
Multiple community leaders such as Founder and Executive Director of the Wins and Lessons Foundation, Keivon Smith; Co-founders of Jus2Succeed, former NFL player Jeron Johnson and his non-profit partner David Ross; Financial Advisor of the VRN Foundation, Njideka Obijiaku; Co-founder and Executive Director of the VRN Foundation Yomeisha Moore and many others have all come together for a festive day for Compton.
Keivon Smith, a Compton Native, founded the Wins and Lessons Foundation earlier this year and is excited to be leading the charge of bringing other organizations together.
“I usually hate to take the credit for anything because I am a firm believer in God, so this is a blessing more than anything, to be a blessing to the kids of Compton. I was one of those kids growing up. My mom struggled as she raised me and my siblings. It was really hard for us, so now that I am able to give back it means a lot.”
Smith also spoke about why community collaboration is critical for creating real change in Compton. “It’s about shining light on unity because we are in a time right now where we don’t usually see multiple people coming together, so my idea of bringing multiple organizations together was to highlight unity. It makes this event bigger and gives us a bigger reach as a community.”
Yomeisha Moore co-founded the VRN Foundation with her son, Compton native and University of Georgia football star Nate Frazier Jr. She spoke about the event that also highlights community multiple racial and ethnic groups. “Although we have a lot of non-profit organizations coming together, the overall community coming together is rare. Not just from the African American perspective but for all. The event on Sunday is a cultural event consisting of all cultures. Also, when we show people that they have a community that supports them and provides resources for them — a community where they can succeed — more people would want to come back and contribute.”
Other organizations include the LA Strong Foundation, Al Barro Foundation, Hopeless Hearts Foundation, Pathways to Success and Ladies of Football. The event will consist of a large-scale toy handout for about 1,000 kids and performances by Compton’s Divas & Drummers. Other items will also be given out such as home decor, hygiene kits, shoes, coats, and household supplies. Mayor of Compton Emma Sharif and other elected officials’ will also be in attendance.
The goal of this event is to also bring hope to the community of Compton, where stories of poverty, homelessness, and life struggle are common.
South Central native, Njideka Obijiaku, spoke about the significance of the large-scale community based event. “It is important for a lot of us who were raised in these communities to do this because we can’t always count on public officials and systems.” She added. “One day the system is good and the next thing you know we have a government shutdown, so this event represents us taking our community into our own hands. Some of us have resources, success in our own professions, so we have to make sure we give back in the same way that others have done for us.”
For more information and to register please visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/christmas-in-compton.
Registration for the event is strongly encouraged as over 1,500 people have registered so far and gifts for families and kids may be limited in supply.