Christmas is a time for joy and laughter for most families, but some families struggle to make ends meet and have money to spend on Christmas gifts for children. In the 1990’s, Fred Pilkilton and the Denison Rotary Club decided to act on that need and established a program to have local first responders help children receive Christmas gifts. A long-time Denison Rotary Club member, Fred Pilkilton, had an idea and shared it with the club, and a Texoma Christmas tradition was born.
The Rotary Club raise funds and partner with the Denison Walmart and uniformed police and firefighters to bring smiles to children in need during the holidays. The Denison Independent School District helps with selecting the children who need toys, clothes, and other items. The uniformed Denison police officers and firefighters volunteer to take the children on a shopping spree on a Saturday at Walmart before Christmas. They help the children pick out gifts they otherwise would not receive. Sadly, Fred Pilkilton passed away earlier this year from cancer, but his wife, Rossi, also a Denison Rotary Club member, continues the tradition of making sure the children can enjoy a nice Christmas.
Rossi Pilkilton fondly remembers how important this program was to her husband. “For Fred, it was all about the kids, not about him. God was always first in his life. He always said a prayer to praise and thank God right before he started calling the kids names to start shopping. Fred was a humble man. His passion was to help children. It is awesome to have the support of the Denison Rotary Club, the Denison Police Department, the Denison Fire Department, and the Denison Independent School District. We started slowly. I think we started with around thirty kids originally, and it continues to grow. I am always amazed at the support our Denison Walmart provides. They are such a great partner. Each year, we manage to pull together groups to make a great event for the children. It is pretty big, but we have a lot of help. We have Santa, our Denison Rotary Club members, Walmart volunteers, police officers, and firefighters, and we have refreshments for the kids. I love hearing the stories from the event. One of the things that really touches me is to hear that often, many children want to use their money to purchase gifts for other family members. The beauty is that they don’t often choose for themselves. They put their family first.”
In a 2024 interview with KTEN News, Mr. Pilkilton expressed his thoughts. “There is a lot of need this time of year. A lot of times, there are kids who won’t have a Christmas. So, we try to identify those kids and take the opportunity to invite them to come with us and go shopping.”
According to Rotary Club member DeeAnn Abner, most of the funds are raised during Denison's Annual Fall Festival, but anyone can contribute to the event by contacting the Denison Rotary Club on their Facebook page or DenisonRotary.com. Your support will continue to make this Christmas tradition a great success in the years to come.