All Week Long
Originally published by Citizen Newspaper by Tia Carol Jones | December 25, 2024
Children and their families were able to receive gifts and celebrate the holidays at Christmas in the Wards. The annual event brought families from all 50 wards and 77 neighborhoods in Chicago, as well as families from the South Suburbs and Proviso Township, together in a ballroom at McCormick Place.
The theme of this year’s event was about celebrating all of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. There were more than 500 people in attendance, including elected officials and their staff. Families were served breakfast and were able to receive warm coats and household essentials, as well as bicycles, large screen televisions and laptops, in addition to the gifts the children received.
Christmas in the Wards began 28 years ago when Larry Huggins, CEO of Riteway-Huggins Construction, was asked by Terry Peterson to do Christmas in Englewood. Since then, Christmas in the Wards has served more than 20,000 families.
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle talked about how the event grew from a fieldhouse in the 17th Ward to the recent event at McCormick Place.
“Christmas is surely a time of celebration, but it’s also a time when we should count our blessings. I’m very grateful to the people who have made this possible over the year and provided a wonderful Christmas for so many of our families,’ Preckwinkle said.
When temperatures in Cook County are expected to dip to unsafe levels, the County's Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security provides an updated list of warming centers for residents to protect themselves and their families.
Residents who need to seek shelter at a warming center should contact the center first to verify availability and hours of operation.
Warming centers within the City of Chicago can be found on the city's website.
Paid for by Preckwinkle for President. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the Board's official website, http://elections.il.gov/, or for purchase from the State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois. All contributions are reported to the State Board of Elections. Contributions are not accepted from employees of Cook County. Companies holding contracts with the Cook County are limited to $750.
Political contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes.