SOUTH BAY — These were among more than a dozen photos Barbara King posted to accompany her letter of thanksgiving to her friends. She posted it on her Facebook page Sunday and shared it with dozens of friends.

Previous Next

So overwhelmed with joy and heartbroken at the same time ... during a time like this, someone took some of the seniors’ gift sets before I could distribute them all out. I will be replacing them all today (Sunday, Dec. 20) to make sure all seniors in South Bay receive their gifts ...

However: First and by far most of all, I THANK YOU GOD for assigning me to the calling to be a blessing to many.

Thank you to all our sponsors/donors/supporters: United States Sugar Corporation, Brannan Thomas; Quantum Foundation; U.S. Marines Toys For Tots of Palm Beach County; BElegant CreativEvents, Ty Hanna; Thrive For A Change of The Palm Beaches; Hanna Soul Food; John Brockman (Brockman Enterprise Group), Sandra McCray; Shandra Butts Stringer, Grassroots Consulting Inc.; Willie Wrisper, New Beginning Community Outreach; Willie Frank Marshall Jr. and the Marshall family; Chris Beckford; and Each of You who sent in donations for gift cards!

Thank you to All of our Volunteers: South Bay Vice Mayor Betty Barnard, Barbara Green, Edna Andrews, Lorine Lott, Allen J. Davis, Tee Swerve; Lynette Butts; Antonisha Boldin; Glenda Marshall; Latoyia LovinLife Johnson; Ashley, Jeff Sears.

As a little girl growing up in South Bay I remember the late former Commissioner Willie Frank Marshall Sr (BoJack), our first Black Santa, would hop on the back of a South Bay fire engine truck, and they would ride him through town. All the children would be under a spell (LOL), go grab our parents, and the town would flood Tanner Park. Every child had a gift, and we were all happy.

In 2016, my nonprofit, KTM (Kings Tutoring & Mentoring) Youth and Community Network Inc., along with BElegant CreativEvents, partnered with the Marshall family, and Willie Marshall Jr. suited up and continued the legacy of his father, thus becoming our Second Black Santa.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we were unable to have the Christmas parade and Santa in his suit. After my mom passed away, in 2015, the first Christmas without her was hard and I was also jobless; however, that Christmas, God enabled me to gave out over 100 stuffed stockings and a few women’s church suits to the senior citizens in South Bay, and five years later, to God Be The Glory. He is still blessing me to be a blessing to them once again. Again, thank you all who helped in making this day of blessing to be successful!