2023 Year-in-Review
Friends,
We have finally crunched the numbers from all the exciting events held in 2024. We are constantly amazed at the support we receive not only within our community, but with partners from all over the country, enabling us to spread our mission. Your generosity was evident as we had our most influential year-to-date! Here is a recap of what YOU made happen in 2024:
· Baby Expo: 196 families attended our annual Baby Expo and were able to select items they needed for their child’s first years. Clothing, shoes, blankets, car seats, toys, diapers, and more were all offered to attendees, free of charge. This was more than double the attendees from 2023, in which 90 families attended.
· Easter: Our 4th Annual Easter Eggstravaganza was again a big hit, with activities loading up the Little League Complex in Lockhart. Around 2,000 people attended this event which had over 10,000 filled eggs, games, bounce houses, a petting zoo, food and craft vendors, and, of course, the Easter Bunny. We are proud to be able to host an area just for those with special needs so that they may participate safely. Thanks to our generous donors, we also had over 50 golden eggs, which the finders were able to exchange for a larger prize.
· Prom Drive: We were able to outfit 40 young women and men in dresses, suits, shoes, and accessories to attend their Prom – at no charge to them, thanks to community donations of new and gently used items.
· Scholarship: Our 3rd Trade School Scholarship award of $1,500 was presented to a young lady for her enrollment in auto mechanic school!
· Back-to-School Event: Our 7th Annual Back-to-School Event supporting students in Central Texas was our biggest one yet! Over 1,100 children were provided new backpacks filled with school supplies, dental kits, new socks and undergarments, new tennis shoes, and clothing. Our outdoor fun area had free scholastic books, balloon animals, parent resources, kite flying and a whole lot of fun! We also had several family resource organizations attend, providing important information to families in regards to medical coverages, WIC, Health Steps and more. Additionally, 120 backpacks with school supplies were sent to a small school in need in Marietta, Georgia. In total, 1,320 children benefitted from our 2023 Back-to-School Events!
· Trunk-or-Treat: We supported the 3rd Annual Lockhart Trunk-or-Treat event, benefiting the Lockhart Special Olympics Program. Over 500 children attended this event and our very own “Pumpkin Princess” got to lead the children’s costume parade.
· Thanksgiving Meals: We were able to support families in three school districts, providing them with everything they needed to cook their own Thanksgiving meal. 754 children and their families, 145 families in total were served by this program.
· Pegasus Christmas Store: A Christmas ‘store’ was set up at the Pegasus campus and all 140 young men in the program were able to ‘shop’ for a gift for a special adult in their life. Some picked out gifts for a parent, some for their caseworker or Pegasus staff. After they picked their gift, we helped them wrap it up – some presents got uniquely wrapped and a lot of tape was used, but we had a great time! Those who picked a gift for a family member were able to present it to them the very next day, which was Family Day.
· Christmas Gifts: Over 500 children representing 150 families were placed on our Elf Tree this past Christmas. Each child was sponsored by an individual, family, or business organization who provided their sponsored child a minimum of four gifts to open on Christmas! What a blessing and showing from strangers!
· Walk-Ins: 4:12 Kids accepts walk-in appointments all year round. In 2024, we had 186 families come to us for support for items such as shoes, clothing, hygiene items, etc. This was a 54% increase from 2023 and nearly a 200% increase over 2022.
· Clothing Closets: We are proud to report that all schools in Lockhart ISD now have clothing closets / spaces in them! These spaces are supplied with clothing, shoes, undergarments, socks, hygiene items, and more and allow for school personnel to address the immediate needs of a child. We are currently working on setting up the remainder of the Caldwell County schools in Luling and Prairie Lea.
· Awards: We once again received the Best of Caldwell County Non-Profit Award, presented by the Lockhart Post Register, making this the 4th year in a row for this distinguishment! We were truly honored to receive this award and know that we could not accomplish anything without the support of donors and volunteers like you.
Volunteers are the heart of our organization. In 2024, our volunteers spent over 2,000 hours of personal time working in our office and at events!
In all, we had nearly 5,000 children who participated in our programs in 2024, representing over 1,000 - WOW! We are looking forward to 2025 as we envision even more lives impacted for good. Of course, we cannot do this without your support.
If you would like to contribute to the programs / events we have planned for this year, you may do so at any time by clicking on the DONATE button above. You may also find out what it takes to be a volunteer by clicking GET INVOLVED.
We are so grateful for your support in what God is doing in and through 4:12 Kids and we are excited to continue taking these programs into 2025.
We have finally crunched the numbers from all the exciting events held in 2024. We are constantly amazed at the support we receive not only within our community, but with partners from all over the country, enabling us to spread our mission. Your generosity was evident as we had our most influential year-to-date! Here is a recap of what YOU made happen in 2024:
· Baby Expo: 196 families attended our annual Baby Expo and were able to select items they needed for their child’s first years. Clothing, shoes, blankets, car seats, toys, diapers, and more were all offered to attendees, free of charge. This was more than double the attendees from 2023, in which 90 families attended.
· Easter: Our 4th Annual Easter Eggstravaganza was again a big hit, with activities loading up the Little League Complex in Lockhart. Around 2,000 people attended this event which had over 10,000 filled eggs, games, bounce houses, a petting zoo, food and craft vendors, and, of course, the Easter Bunny. We are proud to be able to host an area just for those with special needs so that they may participate safely. Thanks to our generous donors, we also had over 50 golden eggs, which the finders were able to exchange for a larger prize.
· Prom Drive: We were able to outfit 40 young women and men in dresses, suits, shoes, and accessories to attend their Prom – at no charge to them, thanks to community donations of new and gently used items.
· Scholarship: Our 3rd Trade School Scholarship award of $1,500 was presented to a young lady for her enrollment in auto mechanic school!
· Back-to-School Event: Our 7th Annual Back-to-School Event supporting students in Central Texas was our biggest one yet! Over 1,100 children were provided new backpacks filled with school supplies, dental kits, new socks and undergarments, new tennis shoes, and clothing. Our outdoor fun area had free scholastic books, balloon animals, parent resources, kite flying and a whole lot of fun! We also had several family resource organizations attend, providing important information to families in regards to medical coverages, WIC, Health Steps and more. Additionally, 120 backpacks with school supplies were sent to a small school in need in Marietta, Georgia. In total, 1,320 children benefitted from our 2023 Back-to-School Events!
· Trunk-or-Treat: We supported the 3rd Annual Lockhart Trunk-or-Treat event, benefiting the Lockhart Special Olympics Program. Over 500 children attended this event and our very own “Pumpkin Princess” got to lead the children’s costume parade.
· Thanksgiving Meals: We were able to support families in three school districts, providing them with everything they needed to cook their own Thanksgiving meal. 754 children and their families, 145 families in total were served by this program.
· Pegasus Christmas Store: A Christmas ‘store’ was set up at the Pegasus campus and all 140 young men in the program were able to ‘shop’ for a gift for a special adult in their life. Some picked out gifts for a parent, some for their caseworker or Pegasus staff. After they picked their gift, we helped them wrap it up – some presents got uniquely wrapped and a lot of tape was used, but we had a great time! Those who picked a gift for a family member were able to present it to them the very next day, which was Family Day.
· Christmas Gifts: Over 500 children representing 150 families were placed on our Elf Tree this past Christmas. Each child was sponsored by an individual, family, or business organization who provided their sponsored child a minimum of four gifts to open on Christmas! What a blessing and showing from strangers!
· Walk-Ins: 4:12 Kids accepts walk-in appointments all year round. In 2024, we had 186 families come to us for support for items such as shoes, clothing, hygiene items, etc. This was a 54% increase from 2023 and nearly a 200% increase over 2022.
· Clothing Closets: We are proud to report that all schools in Lockhart ISD now have clothing closets / spaces in them! These spaces are supplied with clothing, shoes, undergarments, socks, hygiene items, and more and allow for school personnel to address the immediate needs of a child. We are currently working on setting up the remainder of the Caldwell County schools in Luling and Prairie Lea.
· Awards: We once again received the Best of Caldwell County Non-Profit Award, presented by the Lockhart Post Register, making this the 4th year in a row for this distinguishment! We were truly honored to receive this award and know that we could not accomplish anything without the support of donors and volunteers like you.
Volunteers are the heart of our organization. In 2024, our volunteers spent over 2,000 hours of personal time working in our office and at events!
In all, we had nearly 5,000 children who participated in our programs in 2024, representing over 1,000 - WOW! We are looking forward to 2025 as we envision even more lives impacted for good. Of course, we cannot do this without your support.
If you would like to contribute to the programs / events we have planned for this year, you may do so at any time by clicking on the DONATE button above. You may also find out what it takes to be a volunteer by clicking GET INVOLVED.
We are so grateful for your support in what God is doing in and through 4:12 Kids and we are excited to continue taking these programs into 2025.