My Most Memorable Holiday: Giving the One Gift That Meant Everything to a 12-Year-Old Boy

By Kimberley Ward

Senior Program Director, MetroWest Community Services, Framingham

Sometimes all it takes is a new Easy Bake Oven to make a child’s holiday the most memorable they’ve ever had.

My favorite story is of two brothers we worked with who were removed from their mother’s care and living in a foster home. The oldest was 12 and he said he’d only ever received hand-me-down gifts and the one thing he always wanted was an Easy Bake Oven. We scoured the stores and didn’t give up until we found one for him. I have never seen a child so excited to open a gift that it brought tears to my eyes.

At 12, he knew Santa didn’t get it for him but watching him open that oven was like magic – just for a moment you could see him trying to figure out where it came from. He used the oven almost every day, even doing chores to earn money to buy the ingredients to bake more treats. It still warms my heart to think about it, how little it took to make him so happy.

Donations will benefit our kids during the holidays and all year long. Find out more about how to give by visiting our website: https://www.waysideyouth.org/ways-to…/ways-to-give-overview/