Dallas Children's Advocacy Center ‘Holiday of Hope' brings ‘magic' of Christmas

Donations help bring Christmas to about 1,600 children served by the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center.

Volunteers at Dallas Children's Advocacy Center (DCAC) sifted through boxes of donated toys, clothes, electronic and more to set up a pop-up Christmas shop this week.

"More Hot Wheels," Taylor Washam, a volunteer with Opportune LLP said putting the toys in a bin of Hot Wheels. "I'm thinking about how amazing it is that we have all these people donating! We were trying to figure out earlier how many toys we think all this is."

Two rooms were being set up with about 4,000 donated toys. Volunteers organized the items like a store for Holiday of Hope.

"Yeah, I'm very OCD, so I like things in order," Washam said. "So this is kinda fun to me organizing and making it look all pretty and stuff."

"You know the title of the program is Holiday of Hope," DCAC Director of Advocacy Services Hannah Counter said. "I think this place truly is a beacon of hope for our families."

During Holiday of Hope, families and caregivers of the 1,600 abused or neglected children DCAC serves can 'shop' free for their Christmas gifts.

"It's a sad reality that a place like DCAC exists, but thank God they do," Phill Madden, a volunteer with Opportune LLP said. "I think it's really heart-warming to know that we're making a tangible impact to know that we're doing that for the children."

"I hope that the kids feel love, that they feel joy, that they feel happiness," Counter said. "Most of all, what we want for every single kid that walks through these doors is to feel safety."