Q&A with Cathy

Q: How did Cathy's kids begin?
A: Chris and I were on an LDS mission in Hermosillo, Mexico, and as part of what we took with us were our Mr. and Mrs. Santa suits. (We'd played Mr. and Mrs. Santa for many years in Idaho where we're from.) After a Christmas party at the church, one of our local leaders, a Stake President asked us if we'd go visit his mother, an 80-year old woman who'd never seen Santa. When we arrived at her house and got out of the car we heard a little voice saying, "Santa Claus, Santa Claus!". We looked over and saw a little 5-year old boy who'd spotted our red clothing and wanted to catch our attention. We told him, "un momentito" and entered the home of the woman we'd come to see. We spent some time with the older woman and I'd almost forgotten the child, but when we went out, there he was. It'd looked as if he hadn't moved a muscle and in his bright, expectant eyes we saw that he'd been waiting for us. We looked in our Santa bag and miraculously happened to have 2 bags of candy left, one for him and one for his little sister. We said "Feliz Navidad" and went home.

It was 2 days later that the Stake President's wife received a message that this particular little boy had just been diagnosed with leukemia and they believed he only had 6 months to live. Upon hearing this, we called the little boy's mother and told her that Santa forgot something and that we'd be back.

After that, we went shopping for toys for this boy and his sister and returned to their home. When we arrived, the house was crammed with people. They'd been waiting for us and had a special chair ready for Santa. The little boy was the first one on Santa's lap and just sat there entranced by the Santa's face. He caressed it and his beard as if confirming to himself that Santa Claus was real. We left that night, not knowing that that little boy had changed our lives forever.

Soon after our mission, in 1991 we returned to Yuma for the winter. Chris and I'd been saving our quarters and when Christmas came around, we decided we'd use it to buy toys and other needed things for the poorest children in villages in Mexico right across the border. It became a tradition, something Chris and I did alone for several year, but little by little friends began joining us. Some of the first people to join us were Geri and Bob Nelson from Montana. The Westons, the Jones and the Nelsons were others who learned of what we were doing and wanted to join. This last year there were 46 of us who made the trip, which included 25 new people who'd never gone with us before.

Q: How is Cathy's Kids run?
Cathy is the Chairman (woman) of the Board. Mac is the President and Organizer Extrodinaire. Avey is the Executive Vice President, also known as the go-getter, the bargain hunter and super-shopper.

People from our church congregation ( known as a brand or ward) are some of the biggest contributors to the cause. Over the years we've learned what people need and want most. When people find out about our project and want to contribute, we'll make suggestions based on what is needed most. The in-kind donations are stored at my home until a couple of weeks before Christmas when a group of us gather to sort and divide the donations. On December 23 we load up our cars (this year it was 15 vans and cars) and on December 24 we all meet at a designated location and then head south across the border to find those people in need.

Q: How many people have donated to Cathy's Kids?
A: I have no idea! Hundreds and hundreds. Over 19 years many people, snowbirds, their children, their grandchildren and their friends have donated. There was a group of women in an RV Park, Arizona West, who over the last 3 years have donated approximately 25 quilts a year.

Q: What do you give away?
A: Blankets (full and baby), fleece throws, knitted caps, mittens, scarves, stuffed animals, pot holders, dolls, candy, wooden cards, hotwheels, gloves for men, caps, baseballs, bats, soccer balls, hygiene kits (include tooth brushes, tooth paste, shampoo, hairbrush, makeup and a piece of jewelry), money (envelopes with $5), school supplies.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory from all of the years you've been doing this?
A: Yes, the little man in the shed. Just last year, we had stopped and had given out blankets. I'd given one to a middle-aged woman who started talking to me in very rapid spanish. I asked her to slow down and she just said to me, "ven...come". She led me through a fence to a small, thrown-together, wooden shed that was probably big enough for a twin bed and nothing else. She knocked on the door and opened it. A small, elderly physically disabled man looked up and said "que?". She said to him, "Wake up, the angels are here," and she took the quilt she'd just been given and laid it over him. It just stunned me. That's why we do this every year. I'm sure that for them what I do is so small, but it's everything for me. It's what Christmas is all about.