Persons of the Week: Jake and Sparky Kennedy

Dec. 22, 2006 — -- Jake and Sparky Kennedy were so embarrassed by the number of presents their young daughter received on Christmas nearly 20 years ago, they decided to teach their family to take an old adage to heart: It is better to give than to receive, especially to those most in need this time of year.

That thinking led to the creation of a holiday party for Boston's homeless children that has been running for 18 years.

"I think we love the challenge that anything can be done," Jake Kennedy said. "It's a challenge to see if we can ask for the world and somehow we get it."

Christmas in the City is an all-volunteer-run event, with the organizers taking care of every detail from the moment the 2,800 children walk onto the red carpet into a cavernous convention center decorated for the holidays.

The children enjoy carousel rides, make gingerbread houses and are entertained as their parents relax.

"This is a group of people who unfortunately have to fight for every inch," Jake Kennedy said. "We have the volunteers tell the mothers this is their day, too."

The day concludes with a turkey dinner for the crowd of 4,000 before Santa Claus arrives to make sure all the children leave with a gift they requested before the event.

"If you get a kid a football who doesn't play football, that gift really isn't very meaningful to him," Sparky Kennedy said. "So we wanted to make sure the gift we got for the kid was meaningful and that Santa was actually thinking about this kid at this time."

"We want every child to leave that party thinking that a promise was kept, they got it and that there's magic in the holidays," Jake Kennedy added.

When asked how they do it every year, at no cost to the families, he responded, "We are so lucky that we do it. … I wouldn't even want to think of the holiday without it."

The effort has been so successful, the Kennedys received more gifts than they needed for the party, so they will distribute them until Christmas. After the holidays, they will resume the year-round programs they have started in some of Boston's shelters. And they will begin planning for next year's party in February.

For more information contact: http://christmasinthecity.org/