Photo by Tom Jenz
Vaun Mayes and volunteers
What were you doing on Christmas Eve? Perhaps, crowded around the dinner table with relatives and friends. You were eating a savory holiday meal near the Christmas tree huddled with colored lights and wrapped presents. You could hear distant Christmas carolers serenading your cheerful neighborhood. You laughed and shared family stories, and your troubles seemed out of sight.
Just a few miles away, in the parking lot of Evolve Church on 76th Street, a different kind of Christmas story was unfolding. A group of devoted African American volunteers, bundled in winter coats, worked with diligence. They packed vans and trucks with neatly wrapped presents, each destined to bring Santa Claus and his elves to children and families who needed him most. These volunteer elves weren’t just delivering gifts. They were delivering hope.
In this predominantly Black neighborhood, where hardships have been heavy, the effort carried a special significance. The initiative, led by activist Vaun Mayes and his RBGiftMust MKE, wasn’t just about presents under the tree - it was about restoring faith in the magic of the season. Thanks to the generosity of community donors, the charitable organization had raised $10,000 to make Christmas dreams a reality for families who could have gone without.
Event Preparation
At 5 p.m., earlier in the evening, the church parking lot was crammed with cars, trucks, a party bus and happy volunteers all ready to hand out gifts. Local news TV cameras were tightly lined up, reporters fitted in between, microphones in hand. Mayes and his friends entered the air space. The evening began with a serious ceremony, the reading of the names of Milwaukee homicide victims in 2024, most of them people of color who had been killed in area neighborhoods, and ended as a reminder that there is still good in the city.
“I started the GiftMust program 11 years ago,” Vaun Mayes began. “I did the first one by myself. I went door to door on Lloyd Street and asked for donations, collected $200, and bought presents from Dollar Tree, and then I went back to that neighborhood and gave out gifts for the kids. I was a homeless teenager back in the day, and I know the feeling of being without. This year, we’ve raised $10,000 to buy gifts. Tonight, we will give out about 1,000 gift bags. This will be our largest door to door gift drive. We pick a different area of the city each year and surprise residents with gifts. We brought some influencers and artists with us that people might recognize. They will be lounging on this beautiful party bus.”
He then announced the destination—Ridgewood Apartments in Brown Deer. The church parking lot was getting crowded, cars lined up, volunteers anxious to start. I spoke to several volunteers before we all left for the destination.
Derryl Seals, Driver of the huge Party & Event bus
“Some of the volunteers and celebrities will ride my bus when they hand out gifts to the kids. I hope to provide a different vibe this year. It’s the first year of including the entertainment bus.”
Janiya Williams, ComForce Youth Ambassador
“This s my favorite part of the year, giving back to the people who need it. We pick a random neighborhood to go to every year, and we hand out toys to the kids. There has been a lot of gun violence going on. A lot of people have lost their lives. A lot of people need something to uplift them, and I feel like this is something that does that for them. It pushes everybody into the spirit, even if it’s just a little bit.”
The twins, Leena and Leean Le, Podcast influencers on YouTube
Leena: “I am here to bring joy to the Black community and give hope to the city.”
Leean: “We want to take time to give back to the people who may not have the privilege of getting Christmas gifts.”
Larresa Taylor, City of Milwaukee Ninth District Aldermanic
“The 9th district was blessed today with a toy giveaway. Vaun L Mayes along with RBGiftmust and Comforce MKE. What an awesome way to spend Christmas eve, putting a smile on the faces of many kids and families.”
Chrystal, representing Amani United and the Dominican Center for Women
“This is more than just a one day event. It’s about doing good things all the time. We tell everybody to be intentional about your blessing.”
Big Frank Lee, volunteer on gift trailer
“I came here to do stuff for the community, show the kids love, spread the good spirit on Christmas Eve.”
George McCormick, volunteer
“I came here tonight to give back to the community, see what’s goin’ on, spread the love, Man.”
Vaun Mayes, leader of the event
“Tonight, we brought some influencers and artists that people might recognize. They will be lounging on this beautiful party bus.”
Santa Claus brings Joy to the Apartment Complex
The caravan of cars, U-Hauls, trailers and vans carrying volunteers and Christmas presents finally arrived at the Ridgewood Apartments parking lot. Residents, families and children left their homes to receive gift cards, technology, toys, bikes and more. Kids and families crowded around the trailers. Soon, there was dancing and singing, hip hop holiday carols, and children with wall-to=wall smiles. For a few hours, the streets were filled with love for community.
“We were just in the house chilling, listening to music, and then we heard something,” said Dianna Bradford, a parent in the neighborhood. “We're like, okay, what's going on?”
“Just to bring the Christmas cheer back around, it's been good,” said Elijhawan Earl, a father who brought his son to the event. “Just to see everybody together again, and listening to music, I like it, I love it.”
Jackyha Collins' children showed off their new toys. "It's not really about the adults at times like this, a lot of kids are going without," she said. "And so it's important to have good people in the world who think about the families that are not able to provide for their children.”
Shay Green-Yancey told me she was a comedian and clown and the assistant manager at Cousins Subs. “I am here to pass out gifts to the kids, make them smile.” she said. “It’s an honor to be here. I love Vaun Mayes, he is the king, just keeps going no matter what the setbacks.”
When the celebration finally drifted down, Vaun Mayes had almost lost his voice, but he managed, “It’s been a beautiful night from start to finish. We blessed a lot of people.”
When the night ended, the volunteers had delivered over a thousand gift bags, around $1,000 cash, dozens of bikes and scooters, and even a flat screen television. Mainly, they delivered enough goodwill and hope to last for months.
Shauntay Nelson, Vice President of Wisconsin Women's Network, told me, “This event is one of the greatest expressions of ‘community’ I have seen in a very long time. People come together from all walks of life to give needy people access to a Christmas.”
I sometimes think too many Americans have forgotten the meaning of Christmas, and I was glad I had the good fortune of interacting these goodwill volunteers.
