Winter Wonderland Event Brings Holiday Hope to Riverside County Students on December 11
Holiday event at Riverside Convention Center for foster and homeless youth and their families to include meal, games, crafts, family activities, and a gift for each student
RIVERSIDE – For the more than 19,000 students in Riverside County in foster care settings or living without secure housing, the holidays may not always feel like the most joyous time of the year. The Riverside County Office of Education will be holding the first Winter Wonderland event for foster and homeless youth and their families from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at the Riverside Convention Center (3637 5th Street, Riverside, CA 92501).
“The Winter Wonderland event is a way for all students to have something to look forward to this holiday season,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “This event represents an opportunity to wrap our community’s collective arms around students who are deserving of positive reinforcement, loving kindness, and a fresh reminder of the importance of hope for the future.”
Highlights of the free event include:
- Holiday meal for families
- Dessert treats
- Gift giveaway for children
- Photo booth fun
- Keynote speaker for parents/guardians on the topic of self-care
- Breakout rooms for students for cookie decorating, calming tools to take home, ornament-making, magnet painting, and other gift items
Event sponsors include Best Best & Krieger, 1-2-3 Wellness, Feisty Pets, Plan It Life, Tilden-Coil Constructors, Cornerstone Community Church, Santa Claus, Inc., Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost, The Flippen Group, and the Riverside Police Foundation. Volunteers and donations are still needed to support the success of the event. To participate, contact Brandy Medina at (951) 826-6242 or bmedina@rcoe.us.
About the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE)
RCOE is a service agency supporting the county’s 23 school districts that serve 430,000 students—more than the student population of 17 states. RCOE services include administrative support to districts, programs for preschool, special education, pregnant minor, correctional, migrant, and vocational students. In addition, the organization provides professional training, support and resources for more than 18,000 teachers, administrators and staff throughout the 7,000 square miles of Riverside County.