These "Wrappers" are Wrapping, not Rhyming

Word up at the North Pole has it that Santa will be retrieving his extra-large sleigh from storage to pack the more than 900 gifts recently wrapped at Retirement Housing Foundation Headquarters and Bixby Knolls Towers in Long Beach. Seventy senior resident volunteers from both Bixby Knolls Towers and Los Alamitos’s Klein Manor, along with RHF staff and Advisory Commission members, expertly wrapped the beautiful dolls, ready-to-save-the-day action figures, talking stuffed animals, classic games and challenging puzzles for deserving youth in RHF’s 25 affordable family communities in 10 states.

The hundreds of provided toys were both donated and purchased from local toy vendors. RHF employees, Board members and local community residents likewise, donated thousands of dollars to secure even more toys and to purchase 700 gift cards for older youth.

Spearheaded by RHF’s Philanthropy Department, this yearlong project began 20 years ago and grows annually as new family communities are added to the RHF family. The department looks forward to receiving the many heartfelt thank-you letters/pictures from parents, children and community personnel who all genuinely appreciate the kindness.

Between passing the tape, sealing the paper edges, affixing labels and stacking the finished gifts, the “Wrappers” as they are affectionately known, sang Christmas carols, reminisced about Christmases past and played a few rounds of Holiday Bingo, all the while quietly picturing the joy the young recipients will feel upon receiving, in many cases, their only Christmas gift.

So now if you spot the reindeer soaring across the sky on December 24th with Santa and his extra-large sleigh in tow, you’ll know why.