MSJC Hosted Holiday Celebration for Low Income Families

Ashley Holt is joined by her daughter Mia (left) and Elijah (right) at the celebration

More than 50 single mothers and single fathers from low-income families received gifts for their children at the CARE Holiday Celebration.

The holiday event took place on Dec. 20 and was hosted by Mt. San Jacinto College Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) Program was held at the San Jacinto valley campus.

The Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, the Soboba Casino, and the Soboba Foundation, donated 100 toys to make the event possible. The single parents, who are also students of Mt. San Jacinto College, enjoyed the festivities thanks to the effort, time, and creativity put in by the MSJC staff, the San Jacinto Fire Department, and local high school students from MSJC's Upward Bound Program.

“The CARE program and this event means the world to the parents and children” says Martha Crawford, interim director of the CARE program. "The families not only show appreciation of the festivities, but they express a sense of gratefulness and belonging that goes beyond the celebratory event."

Crawford thanked everyone at the celebration, who came together to spread warmth and joy during the holiday season.

Santa (Ed Saucedo) also showed up to the celebration, escorted by members of the San Jacinto Fire Department. Families also enjoyed a warm meal, took photos with Santa, and enjoyed various holiday festivities.

Ashley Holt (pictured above), an MSJC student and mother of two said, “This is the only real event we get to go to before Christmas time and we’re blessed and fortunate that they put this on for us.”

Cherie Johnson (pictured below), another student and mother of two boys from MSJC stated, “We look forward to this event every year and it brings our family closer. The help we get from the CARE program is extraordinary, not only at this time of the year but throughout the semester. They help me uphold my 3.8 grade point average” said Johnson.

CARE is a supplemental support program of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) at Mt. San Jacinto College. It is a state-funded program designed to provide assistance and support for single parent, head-of-household students, who are participants of the CalWORKS/TANF and EOPS programs. Their main goal is to help these students obtain a degree, certification, and/or transfer marketable job skills.

Cherie Johnson is joined by her sons, Stephen (left) and Anthony (right) at the festivities