Much to the surprise of one local family in need, The Youth Center in Los Alamitos made the holidays a little brighter by arranging for a monetary donation and Christmas tree this year.
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous Youth Center supporter, grandmother and sole guardian Barbara Hallberg, 82, of Garden Grove, and her grandson, Hunter Rakutt, 11, who attends The Youth Center’s After School Program, had a brighter holiday season with a surprise delivery of a Christmas tree from the Youth Center’s annual tree lot and a gift of $200 for their little family.
“The donation and tree made our Christmas,” said Hallberg.
“We didn’t have any presents, we have no family to be with, and it helped. You made a little boy very happy.”
The money helped Hunter with long pants and a coat for the cold weather when he walks to the bus stop.
He also got shoes and socks plus a couple of video games, and a charger for a laptop his aunt bought for him.
“These things were so important to him,” said Hallberg. “The donation went really far as I’m a really good shopper.”
This year, they celebrated with a gorgeous, real tree with red lights. Hunter was so excited he ran to a bag of gray and silver bulbs they got from Goodwill. “It was all the tree ornaments we had. We had nothing to celebrate Christmas with except a hand-carved wooden manger scene that says, ‘He (Jesus) is the gift,’” she continued.
Hallberg went on to say that the Youth Center has transformed her grandson’s life of disappointment of not having his parents in his life, to one of purpose and meaning.
“Hunter hasn’t heard from his father in several years and his mother hasn’t been in his life for years as well,” she explained. “We live on my Social Security and two very small pensions.”
“People like all the workers at the Youth Center, who know about his disappointments, work with him, and have made a huge difference in his life,” she continued.
”Their kindness and understanding have enriched his life and the lives of other children. They have changed Hunter’s life, and it’s helping him to get ahead in life. He’s a very smart boy.”
She recommends anyone who has a school age child to send their kids to the Youth Center, as it’s helped Hunter to get ahead in life.
“The workers at the Youth Center are not there because of the salary,” she said. “They are there because they care about the kids.”
