OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A West Omaha basement has been transformed into a holiday headquarters, where hundreds of donated gifts are being organized to bring Christmas joy to memory care residents through Gwen's Gift.
- Seven years ago, Sandie Yeaman came up with Gwen's Gift so people in memory care could feel empowered while shopping for gifts for their loved ones.
- Now an official 501c nonprofit, Gwen's Gift has been collecting hundreds of donated gifts since July. They plan 12 pop-up events this year.
- The volunteers work tirelessly to ensure every memory care resident can find the perfect gift for their family members.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A West Omaha basement has been transformed into a holiday headquarters, where hundreds of donated gifts are being sorted and organized to bring Christmas joy to memory care residents through Gwen's Gift.
Seven years ago, Sandie Yeaman came up with the idea of creating holiday pop-up shops so people in memory care could feel empowered while shopping for gifts for their loved ones.
"They can actually say, hey, look, I picked this out just for you and actively be involved in the gift giving," Yeaman said.
I met Yeaman three years ago, and each year this project gets even bigger. Last year we were in her garage and living room. This year, she's moved operations to her basement to accommodate the growing collection.
"Yeah this year we've decided, you know, we need a meeting place. Being in a storage unit, you know, nice as it was, it didn't work. It just wasn't big enough. We, we need to be able to see everything," Yeaman said.
Now an official 501c nonprofit, Gwen's Gift has been collecting hundreds of donated gifts since July. They plan 12 pop-up events this year.
Michelle Boeckman is one of the roughly 40 volunteers helping to make it happen. Her personal connection to the cause runs deep.
"My mother wasn't able to afford gifts anymore. She was on Medicaid. And so it really made made her feel a part of Christmas that she could pick something out to give to us for Christmas," Boeckman said.
The volunteers work tirelessly to ensure every memory care resident can find the perfect gift for their family members.
"You know, some of the things that I'm really happy about is we've gotten all these dolls," Yeaman said.
"We need lots and lots of toys because if they have 17 grandkids, they get something for every single child. We don't leave anybody out," Boeckman said.
For Yeaman, it's a labor of love driven by the joy it brings to residents.
"It's when we see how happy it makes them," Yeaman said.
Gwen's Gift is still accepting gift donations through their Amazon wish list here.
