HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — There's nothing like being a kid at Christmastime. Unfortunately, the wonder and joy that comes with the holiday season is sometimes too expensive for families. A Hampton Roads charity is doing everything it can to make sure every Christmas is magical.
Diana Barrett considers herself and other community members Santa Helpers, giving tidings of comfort and joy to the less fortunate. She said a lot of kids in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area are sometimes forgotten about because of their age.
Barrett said, this year, the Heart of Christmas Charity is helping nearly 500 homeless students in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach public schools.
"We like to include one blanket, basic necessities like shampoo, shaving cream, feminine products," she said. "If a child has a specific request like arts and crafts or footballs, basketballs, we include those."
She knows, personally, what it's like to go without something for the holidays.
"We did not have gifts at a certain time," she said. "So I know how that felt for me being a teenager and you walk into the school right after Christmas and everyone's asking 'what you got for Christmas' and you say nothing."
It's why Bartlett's charity was created, serving families in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. With the help of community donors, she's able to make a list and check it twice.
Bartlett said she hopes to include Chesapeake Public Schools in the charity in the future. She's also working on a drive for gently used coats for students in need.
