JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.— -- Joint Base Lewis-McChord Santa's Castle has been making the holidays brighter for children of military families since 1994 and this year is no different.
Santa's Castle, located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., has a specific mission, and that's to provide as many holiday gifts as possible to struggling military families and their children during the holiday season.
“Here at Santa’s Castle, we are completely independent,”said Amy Luekanga, Santa’s Castle president. “We are 100 percent donor funded and staffed by volunteers.”
Santa’s Castle has been accepting referrals for assistance for the 2016 holiday season since Oct. 1, but the Nov. 1 deadline is quickly approaching.
“Please encourage your units to turn their applications in earlier than later so that we can better serve our community,” said Luekanga. “There is no limit as to how many families each unit can turn in as long as they are in some sort of financial difficulty, they can referred.”
Service members and their families who meet the criteria, have children 17 years of age and younger and are referred, may be eligible to participate in the Santa's Castle program. The member's chain of command (first sergeant and above) refers families to the program. After completing the necessary paperwork, qualifying families are notified of their acceptance into the program and given further instructions.
“Every Airman that has been approved has shown great gratitude to the supervisors, the program and the community for supporting them,” said Master Sgt. Ruan Brits, 4th Airlift Squadron first sergeant. “It is great to see the smile on an Airman's face when they know they get to give their kids more than what they were planning on.”
Before the holidays and during designated hours, eligible families are given an appointment time to come to Santa's Castle. Families are paired with their very own "elf," who assists them with their shopping needs during their appointment. Each child in the family can receive three to five gifts. Each child also receives a book and a board game is provided for each family.
Spirited and dedicated volunteers are already collecting donations for this year, and each year, the volunteers are amazed at the outpouring of care from the community.
“Thank you for your guidance and support as we enter our 22nd year in providing a Christmas for our service members and their families,”said Luekanga.
Last year, Santa's Castle provided gifts to 1,838 children from nearly 850 families. This was possible because of the volunteers and generosity of those who have donated funds and toys in support of Santa's Castle.
“Here at McChord, we are extremely mission focused and sometimes we lose track of the fact that our careers not only impact ourselves but really impact those around us and their families,” said Brits. “Having a program like Santa's Castle really gets supervisors to get better acquainted with those around them. This gives the supervisors better insight into family dynamics and possible struggles that families are going through. Santa's Castle not only drives those internal conversations but really helps those families who might be struggling to provide a great Christmas experience to their loved ones.”
For more information or to donate toys to the Santa’s Castle program, visit www.jblmsantascastle.org.