by Casey Valerie Linsey
It’s still sweltering summer in DC.. but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to get into the Christmas spirit! “It is Christmas all year long!” says an enthusiastic Stephanie Wiggins, President of the DC chapter of the Twelve Days of Christmas Organization, committed to spreading Christmas cheer every season.
Thursday evening’s “La Fiesta del Sol,” an annual summer benefit to raise funds for back-to-school supplies, not only surpassed goals, but doubled last year’s total proceeds. The event enabled the women of the Twelve Days of Christmas to help 2 schools, 15 families, and 40 children in DC stock up on necessary items to start the 2011-2012 school year.
While attendees enjoyed the cocktails and music at Mio Restaurant & Lounge, Twelve Days of Christmas member Sharon McDonald Johnson confessed that she was especially tickled by some of the kids’ fun requests for the latest video games and robot puppies. Nevertheless, she noted that the majority of money raised goes to “giving kids the basic necessities – book bags, pencils, and pens. They are so excited to receive the ordinary things we take for granted.” 
