Kevin Lake breaks from his Santa duties for a photo with 2 youngsters at a recent ‘Breakfast with Santa’ event for New Horizons.
MARCH 28, 2024 –The teenagers associated with New Horizons of the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee were treated especially nice over the holidays by their favorite Santa, Kevin Lake. For the past six years, Mr. Lake, a resident of Zephyrhills, Florida, has delivered a “sleigh-full” of goodies for youth of all ages associated with New Horizons, who otherwise may not receive anything for Christmas. Recently, Mr. Lake focused his fundraising efforts on teens, who often do not receive age appropriate gifts, as well as single parents who struggle to make ends meet, especially at this time of year. As the founder of Bella’s Wings, a nonprofit that helps children, Santa, er… Mr. Lake delivered more than $3,000 in gift cards.
In addition, contributions of Christmas joy poured in from Port St. Lucie Crosstown Runners, Big Apple Pizza Bayshore, Lucie Dental, Tangled Up Hair Studio, Walter and Lalita Janke, Board Members and more, making the holidays brighter.
“It’s all about the children,” said Lake. “The stories I hear from the children break my heart and keep me coming back,” he added. “When I asked one little girl what she wanted for Christmas, she told me, ‘I want a nice family to adopt me.’”
New Horizons is a nonprofit mental health and substance use recovery agency, with eight offices across four counties serving nearly 15,000 children and adults annually, regardless of their ability to pay.
In fact, more than 70% of New Horizons clients live far below the poverty line and are unable to afford care, yet no one is turned away due to lack of financial resources. Many of the children and teens at New Horizons rely on case managers and other mental health professionals to help meet their basic needs. To learn how you can help, please visit www.nhtcinc.org or call (772) 468-5600.
