COVINGTON, Ky. — Andy Brunsman was all decked out in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Christmas sweater and coordinating belt buckle when Beverly Simpson arrived at Be Concerned Inc. in Covington.
Simpson was there to shop at the nonprofit’s Christmas Store for her six youngest grandchildren. And Brunsman, the organization’s executive director, was happy to help.
They checked out items for the teenagers, perused the Disney princess dolls and discussed the merits of board games lining the shelves. When Simpson was finished, she asked Brunsman to hold hands and pray with her.
“It’s beautiful for me,” Simpson said afterwards. “I love every bit of it.”
Lucy May | WCPO
Andy Brunsman, left, holds Beverly Simpson’s hands in his and prays.
Be Concerned served a record-breaking number of children last year through its Christmas Store, Brunsman said, helping parents and grandparents provide gifts for 750 kids. The organization serves between 400 and 500 children during a typical year, he said, and needs enough gifts for 600 kids this year based on the number of parents and grandparents who have signed up so far.
“But we don’t have a cancellation for sign-up. So families are still signing up every day that they’re in need,” he added. “We are approaching, hopefully, 700 children in need. We’ll see how it works.”
Be Concerned is one of nine Greater Cincinnati charities that make the holidays happier for kids in need with the help of Toy Team 9. This marks the 11th year that WCPO 9 has teamed up with Kroger for the toy drive, which usually culminates in toy collections at nine area Kroger stores.
Because of the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, though, the toy drive looks different for the second year in a row. This year community members can make monetary donations at www.ToyTeam9.com, where money can be earmarked for a specific charity or given to the overall Toy Team 9 campaign. People also can donate toys to the charities in person on either Friday, Dec. 3, or Saturday, Dec. 4, depending on the nonprofit.
It’s one of many adaptations that Be Concerned has made because of the pandemic, Brunsman said, and they’re not all bad.
Holiday joy – without barriers
In years past, for example, parents and grandparents paid a small fee per child to shop at The Christmas Store. Last year, when the financial fallout from the pandemic hit so many families so hard, Brunsman said Be Concerned decided to make the shopping free for families. The organization did private fundraising, he said, to make up for …….