Pedro Vasquez turns 40 on Dec. 6, and a happy birthday for him will mean happy holidays for children of deployed members of the military.
Vasquez’s big wish for his milestone birthday is to raise funds for the Tucson Troop Support Holiday Party for Military Children on Dec. 15 at Lynn/Urquides Elementary School, 1573 W. Ajo Way.
“Every year I do an Angel Tree where we donate to families that don’t have very much, but this year I saw the Tucson Troop Support box and for my 40th birthday I thought I would ask my friends and family if they would donate some money for that,” said Vasquez, a veteran who retired in 2018 after 20 years with the Air Force. He is now pursuing a master’s in business administration from the University of Phoenix.
“About two years ago I was deployed during the holidays and it would have been great for my kids to actually attend a party like this,” Vasquez said. “I think lots of people don’t know about Tucson Troop Support and I want to help get the word out.”
To date, Vasquez has collected $750. He also plans to contribute money himself so that Tucson Troop Support receives at least $1,000 to purchase toys. Vasquez and his children — Chelsea, Pedro III, Mateo, Alicia and his niece, Alessa Salazar — will also volunteer at the party, helping children choose and wrap gifts for their siblings.
“My kids have been in that situation. They know how it is to miss their dad during the holidays. They understand that they need to give back as much as I do and they are on board to help,” Vasquez said.
Event organizer Clarissa Geborkoff described as a cornerstone holiday celebration for active military families on tight budgets — many of whom are stationed far from extended families or have one or both parents deployed.
“It is hard on the kids and the parents when you are down range. You definitely miss your kids quite a bit. If these families can go and have interactions with others who are going through the same things, it can make a huge difference for the kids and for the parent who is deployed. ... It is one of those heartfelt things,” said Vasquez.
Gifts for foster children
Heartfelt holiday giving opportunities also abound at More Than A Bed, which provides supplies — beds, linens, cribs and other baby supplies, household goods, clothing, shoes and toys — and resources to foster, kinship and adoptive families in Tucson.
The local nonprofit, which served 800 families last year — translating into 2,200 children — will stage a Christmas event to provide toys, gifts and visits with Santa for at least 300 children from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.
“It is amazing to see the kids’ faces brighten up when they get to pick out a special doll or toy for themselves. Last year we had a little girl who got a doll in a box. She had never had a dolly in a box: That means she had never had a new toy. These kids have gone through a lot in their little lives — things that most of us don’t experience in a lifetime,” said Grace Stocksdale, co-founder and president of More Than A Bed.
Stocksdale said the greatest need for the holidays are gifts for more than 50 preteens and teenagers. She is hoping for donations of toiletries and makeup; art supplies and crafts; basketballs, footballs and soccer balls; ear buds; and gift cards to stores such as Target or Walmart.
Brighter holiday for domestic abuse survivors
Survivors of domestic violence are another group that can be left behind during the holiday hustle and bustle; Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse seeks to prevent that with its annual holiday house.
The holiday house is in need of new, unwrapped toys and gifts to stock a free store in which about 500 survivors can select items for immediate family members. The event allows mothers or fathers to choose gifts for their children and children to choose gifts for their siblings and/or parent — holiday preparations that participants would otherwise be unable to afford, according to Ed Mercurio-Sakwa, CEO of the center.
“I think the word that comes to mind for me is ‘normalcy.’ In the midst of chaos, in the midst of the trauma of their lives being uprooted, the Holiday House provides a little slice of normalcy ... it allows them to continue celebrating the holidays that they celebrate and show their love and appreciation for one another at a time when most of what they are dealing with is very negative,” said Mercurio-Sakwa.
