Trading Hard Hats for Santa Hats to Make a Special Holiday Delivery
The holidays will be much brighter for nearly 250 foster kids this year, thanks to a generous donation by Southern California Edison employees.
More than 180 employees collected toys — worth about $30,000 — to donate to McKinley Children’s Center in San Dimas. With truckloads of gifts, linemen from SCE’s Covina Service Center traded their hard hats for Santa hats and joined staff from several SCE locations to make a special holiday delivery.
McKinley Children’s Center provides immediate and long-term services to children who have been abused and neglected, helping them heal from traumatic experiences. For many of the center’s foster children, this will be the first time they receive a gift under the tree.
“This is our ninth year donating to McKinley,” said SCE employee Lori Morrison-Young, who helped organize the toy drive. “Giving back is part of who we are and what we do as Edison employees, and we look forward to coming here every year.”
Edison International, the parent company of SCE, is one of the largest charitable contributors in Southern California, donating to more than 1,300 nonprofits each year — about 90 percent of which helps underserved communities. The McKinley toy drive is one of many holiday events organized throughout the company to help families, kids and veterans in need.
“It’s a wonderful experience to see the kids enjoying Christmas and to have the childhood that unfortunately they’ve been deprived of,” said Anil Vadaparty, CEO of McKinley Children’s Center. “Southern California Edison plays a huge role here and every year provides more and more gifts. It feels like a Christmas miracle and is truly reflective of the holiday season.”
