On a chilly Wednesday night, Chicago Public Schools students filled State Street stores with warmth.
About 175 kids from Chicago's Austin neighborhood went Christmas shopping downtown through an after school program 'By The Hand Club for Kids.'
“This is where we take all our students, kindergarten through college and we bring them downtown so they can experience Christmas in downtown Chicago," Vice President Marco Tinor said.
Tinor says the students were given gift cards to shop for holiday presents before eating dinner downtown.
“We are focused and called by God to go into Chicago’s most under resourced neighborhood," he said. "This is the first time some of our kids will ever experience downtown Chicago in their young lives, and we want to make sure they experience all the beautiful lights, the beautiful festivities.”
With gift cards in tow, the kids hit the shops.
“I’m getting my baby cousin a fuzzy blanket, and I’m getting myself some jewelry," said Monique.
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In the spirit of giving, most added items for others to their cart.
“I’m not shopping for me, I’m shopping for someone else," another student said.
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By The Hand Club For Kids describes themselves as a Christ-centered after-school program that takes kids by the hand and walks with them from kindergarten through college.
By The Hand began in 2001 serving 16 students from Cabrini-Green. Today, it serves more than 1,800 students annually across six Chicago sites: Austin, Moving Everest, Cabrini-Green, North Austin, Englewood, and Altgeld-Murray.
