Townsquare Media Announces ‘Christmas on Us’ Winners
Townsquare Media is happy to announce the winning families for Christmas on Us!
Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Smile at the World Orthodontics in Temple, and supporting sponsors Lastovica Jewelers in Temple, Amos Electric in Temple, Sugar Shack in Salado, Tranum Auto Group in Temple, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop in Temple, five deserving local families will have a very merry Christmas with gift cards, cash, and much more!
This year's winning families are:
Maribel Serra, Laura McBee, Sankirra Moore, Navaeh and Dereck Christie, and Laura Patterson!
This year's grand prize goes to Maribel Serra. She was nominated by Rie Pruitt. Rie's nomination was as follows:
Why Do They Deserve Christmas On Us? Maribel is a selfless mother of 4 who volunteers for the Belton PD C.H.I.P.S. program whenever she can. Her oldest child, Genesis, is a young adult now with special needs as a small child and doesn't qualify for many programs anymore. To ensure her entire family is cared for, she currently home schools two of her children that were having issues but are now thriving. Maribel is a true patriot originating from Puerto Rico and is trying hard to make the American dream happen for her children and her community. She is thoughtful, kind, and caring; always showing empathy for those around her and those in need. She often paints beautiful little rocks as gifts and has even reached out to a little girl in my family with cancer. She lives every day with love in her heart and a smile on her face. She truly is an angel.
Maribel has won the following items from our fantastic sponsors!
- $500 Walmart Gift Card (Townsquare Media)
- $100 H-E-B Gift Card & $100 Walmart Gift Card (Smile at the World Orthodontics)
- $100 Lastovica Jewelers Gift Card (Lastovica Jewelers)
- $100 H-E-B Gift Card (Amos Electric)
- $100 Fuzzy's Tacos (Fuzzy's Tacos)
- An Oil Change (Tranum Auto Group)
All of our finalists won a $200 gift card from Walmart and Oil Changes from Tranum Auto Group! Thanks to all our listeners for their heartfelt nominations. A very Merry Christmas to all! The rest of the winning nominations can be read below. We hope they touch your heart as much as they did ours.
Why Do They Deserve Christmas On Us? Lauren, in a nutshell, is a single mom that works around the clock for at-risk kids in Bell County. She officially works full time for CPS, but after hours spends her own paltry money getting furniture, food, and other necessities to both families trying to keep their kids in custody, and to youth aged out of the foster care system. She donates time and money serving on Foster Love Bell County's board of directors. She is a volunteer with the Child Welfare Board of Bell County. She served a special Thanksgiving (out of her two-bedroom duplex) to area foster college students that didn't have homes or families to go to. She and I are gearing up for Christmas for them at my house, and already she is organizing sponsors for them, and places for them to stay because they'll be homeless over the college break. Whenever there is an emergency removal of a kiddo during evening hours and there are no foster homes for them to go to, it's Lauren that stays up at the office with them and provides a safe space. She is the main point of contact for anyone wanting to donate time, money or items for any reason to CPS, and though this is rewarding work, it is exhausting and overwhelming. Her little family often suffers. She hasn't received child support in several months and has a giant teenage boy to feed at home. Without getting too personal, ex-husband wants little to do with the teenage son. There is rarely money to go and do fun things- instead she takes him with her to volunteer. She makes around $1500 a month and her rent is $750 of that. It makes me ill to know a person that gives so selflessly on a continuing basis also struggles as much as the families she helps. Hopefully, I've conveyed the spirit of this crazy beautiful person and you guys can see it, too. As one of the many people that know and love her, I can't guarantee that she won't share any
Why Do They Deserve Christmas On Us? My daughter is a single mother of 4. She works 10-hour shifts and commutes to Austin for her job. She also does lots of volunteer work as the president of Black Employees at ebay, a liaison on the board of the Black Professional Alliance, and an avid member of the Black Women in Business/Tech movement. My grandchildren all participate in her volunteer activities also. Despite her efforts at home, work, and in the community, her family struggles. She does not have enough money to get the kids gifts this year as she barely has gas to get to work or groceries to sufficiently feed her family between paydays. Medical expenses have taken a bulk of her income as she was recently diagnosed and is being treated for a life-threatening heart condition but she never complains and hardly asks for help. Giving her a lit Christmas would bless me.
Why Do They Deserve Christmas On Us? I am nominating my family (my two children) for the KISS Christmas Wish because I have two of the best children in the world who do not ask for much, but deserve the world. I have been a single parent for over 10 years and work hard to try and give my kids those things that they need. My children are very active in the community...they help usher at church, volunteer at the community food/clothing drive monthly, help out with the homeless students in KISD making sure they have Christmas every year, all while having little themselves. I have taught them that it is better to give than receive and they will both be blessed in the future for what they do for others. I know there are families probably more deserving and without much, but I just want to be able to finally give my kids a great Christmas. It's hard knowing that they do so much for others and are great kids, but I can't deliver each year for those things they truly want.
Why Do They Deserve Christmas On Us? On December 1, Laura Patterson and her two boys were on HWY 53 headed to the Temple VS Port Arthur football game. They were hit head-on by a drunk driver. All three of them have been hospitalized and been going through multiple surgeries since. Laura is a single parent and will be out of work for several weeks if not months. This family deserves Christmas from b106 to help this single mom & her boys as they battle through injuries with Christmas just a few days away and money being tight with Laura being out of work with no pay, and hospital bills starting to accumulate.