30,000 Christmas Wishes Come True in Fair Park

DALLAS - The kids asked for motorized cars, bikes, and footballs. Their parents asked for food, clothes, and shoes. And Saturday at Fair Park, 30-thousand people got exactly what they wished for.                           

Laronda Mills had to drag her 4-year-old son Cameron off of a new motorized four-wheeler.  She needed  him to try on clothes and shoes, but the boy didn't want to stop riding his new toy.

Mills is the mother of 8 and without the Christmas in the Park event, she wouldn't have been able to buy her kids toys for Christmas. 

"People are so blessed to be here today. I am so overwhelmed," says Mills who wipes away a tear. 

She signed up at a South Dallas church weeks ago and spent Friday night outside the Automotive Building at Fair Park to make sure all of her kids got what they wanted.

Mills has never been to the event before which is put on by the S.M. Wright Foundation.  S.M. Wright started it 13 years ago, and every year, it has grown.

"It's a blessing to see the smiles on the faces," says Wright.  

In addition to toys, kids also took home books.  Thousands were donated because of Joe Fojtasek, a high school senior at Episcopal School of Dallas.

"I signed about, a couple thousand letters to families from Hockaday, St. Marks, and ESD.  And literally 3 or 4 days after the letter went out,  we got hundreds of calls from families wanting to donate anything they possibly could," says Fojtasek who collected more than 6-thousand books.

Parents also chose from racks of new clothes and shoes.   There were donated beds. And everyone got to take home groceries.

Parents leaving were seen crying and hugging volunteers.  

Yvonne Fernandez -- a first time volunteer -- promised to be back every year.  She couldn't believe how much the event lifted spirits.

"Its very emotional," she said, "its a good thing i wore waterproof makeup."