While on a mission trip to Haiti in 2014, Cooney & Conway legal assistant Kirstin Goodrich participated in a gift-giving event from Operation Christmas Child, a program run through the humanitarian aid organization Samaritan’s Purse. Operation Christmas Child collects and delivers shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, personal items, and other small gifts to children in poor or developing countries around the world.
“I had the incredible opportunity of meeting the parents and helping the kids enjoy the items they received,” Kirstin said. “The smiles on their faces when they opened the boxes is something I will never forget.”
PHOTOS: Operation Christmas Child
Every year since Kirstin continued to put together a handful of shoeboxes filled with gifts and recruited a few of her friends to do the same. Participants in the program receive notification about where in the world their donated boxes are going. In 2016, all her shoeboxes full of presents went to children in Malawi.
“This was something I thought maybe a few of my co-workers would want to participate in, but to see the abundance of interest asking about items, and offers to help put the boxes together, it was truly heartwarming,” Kirstin said. “Watching how excited people were and how much thought they put into these boxes far surpassed my expectations. I am beyond grateful.”This year, she wanted to expand her reach even further by getting the staff at Cooney & Conway to help, and they came through in a big way. For two weeks, donations from employees came pouring in, with donators making sure they were giving the proper items. Toys and other gifts then filled a conference room as employees helped pack up over 40 shoeboxes with toys and supplies to be sent to children across the globe.
Operation Christmas Child expects to deliver shoeboxes to children in more than 100 countries and Kirstin is proud to have her fellow employees help contribute to such a worthy cause.
“We will bring smiles to almost 40 children,” she said.
For complete information on Operation Christmas Child:
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/