WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio. --  More than 100 additional children than in 2013 will find presents under their Christmas tree this year, thanks to bighearted people at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and others supportive of the base community.

The Adopt-A-Family Holiday Program, coordinated by the Airman & Family Readiness Center (AFRC) and the Wright-Patterson AFB First Sergeants Council, rallied 134 donors -- 16 fewer than in 2013 -- but due to their magnanimous gestures, 458 children of parents who are E5 and below and GS5 and below will benefit. Sponsors, including retirees, may have been on- or off-base.

"The sponsors made this happen. It's our biggest year," said Melissa Flores, AFRC community readiness specialist (CRS), who coordinated the event along with fellow CRS Jackie Shazor. "It's a real blessing to have all these sponsors and I want to say 'thank you' to them.

"The spirit of Christmas is alive and well at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Santa is real! Look at all these gifts," Flores exclaimed, surveying the storage room in Bldg. 2, Area A, where large plastic bags stuffed with wrapped presents, colorful packages, bicycles, a dollhouse and more filled the space. The Prairies Chapel had donated blankets as gifts, and one Beavercreek organization had made up small bags of stocking stuffers.  

Some organizations tried to "outdo" each other by making a game of their participation, Flores said. Some organizations took 35 children's names; one family asked for 11 children, she noted.

The program's guidelines remained the same as in previous years: Military with the rank of E-5 and below and civilian with the grade of GS-5 and below were eligible; and only first sergeants could submit names. The unit first sergeants determined the eligibility of active-duty military and civilian families who needed assistance with gifts for their children age newborn up to age 18.  

Individuals or organizations adopting a family were given an envelope containing only information listing the gender, age, a code name and a suggested gifts list.

Code names are used to respect privacy and identity of children receiving gifts, and they were amusing as seen on the gifts, ranging from Batman and Robin to Pudding,   Pocahontas, Tangled, Vikings and Browns. Love, Manger, Mary and Greetings were also on tags.

Up to three brand-new gifts per child were suggested and monetary donations also were welcome to ensure that. Parents could be given food gift cards or similar gifts if the sponsor so chose. The gifts started arriving at the AFRC in late November.

Key/mentor spouses Kathryn Devillier, Patricia Maxwell and Stephanie Smith, along with other spouses, assisted with receiving, sorting, wrapping and coding the gifts as they arrived from sponsors so the first sergeants could locate them with ease.

The first sergeants picked up their bags of gifts Dec. 9-10, then took them to their duty location and discreetly arranged for the Airmen with children in the program to pick up their packages.  

"This is great," said Master Sgt. Marcus Washington, 88th Security Forces Squadron, as he picked up gifts to take to his building. "I love seeing the smiles on the faces of the Airmen picking up the gifts, especially the ones who didn't know we had nominated their children for the program and are in need. It's joyous."

"This is an annual program we do with the first sergeants each year to help make Christmas a little brighter for families at Wright-Patterson AFB," said Wanda Lander, AFRC director.  

Master Sgt. Celia Watson, 88th Medical Operations, was picking up gifts for her unit for the first time and enjoying her task.

"It re-emphasizes that in the military, we're Air Force family and we help each other out," she said. "It's great that they're doing this, that they're helping families in need who can't afford to have a Christmas like this.

"It's great that families, individuals and organizations are willing to do this for children. Thank you to everyone who opened their wallets and opened their hearts," Watson said.