Real-life Mrs. Claus: Retired teacher provides Christmas gifts to thousands of kids
Mary Sauter believes every child should have toys to open on Christmas. She has dedicated her life to making that happen.
Updated: 12:54 PM EST Dec 24, 2024
THEY HAD SERIOUS INJURIES. MORE THAN 2000 CHILDREN IN IOWA WILL RECEIVE CHRISTMAS GIFTS THIS YEAR, THANKS TO A RETIRED TEACHER IN ALBIA. KCCI맥스카지노S LAURA TERRELL SHOWS US HER MISSION OF GENEROSITY. THIS IS THE BABY STUFF. IF SHOPPING WAS AN OLYMPIC SPORT, MARY SAUDER WOULD HAVE A GOLD MEDAL AND TONS OF NERF GUNS. YOU CAN맥스카지노T HAVE ENOUGH NERF GUNS BECAUSE WE CAN NEVER KEEP UP WITH THEM. SHE SHOPS YEAR ROUND TO FILL THIS WAREHOUSE WITH TOYS. I JUST LOVE SHOPPING FOR TOYS. THE RETIRED ALBIA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER HAS BEEN GIFTING TO OTHERS FOR 40 YEARS. ONE YEAR I WENT OVER TO OUR LOCAL PAMIDA STORE THAT DOESN맥스카지노T EXIST ANYMORE AND THEY HAD THE CHRISTMAS TREE. SO I PULLED FOUR NAMES AND TOLD MY STUDENTS. I SAID, HOW ABOUT WE TAKE THE MONEY AND BUY GIFTS FOR THESE FOUR CHILDREN FROM FOUR CHILDREN? YOU DOING OKAY, BABY? YEP. TO NOW. MORE THAN 2000 THIS YEAR. THAT맥스카지노S COOL. LET맥스카지노S SEE YOU GET HER A BOOK. OKAY. SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE GIVE MARY A CALL. FIFTH GRADE. GET HER ONE OF THOSE SETS. ONE OF THESE? YEAH. ALL RIGHTY. THOSE ARE THOSE. SHE맥스카지노LL HAVE A BALL WITH IT. YEAH. WITH A LIST OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NEED. IF A TOWN GIVES US A CALL, WE맥스카지노LL TAKE THEM. AND ONCE WE TAKE THEM, WE TAKE THEM EVERY YEAR. THESE OSKALOOSA HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS STOP BY TO SHOP FOR CHILDREN IN THEIR DISTRICT. SHE HAS, LIKE, BARBIES AND KEN DOLLS AND LIKE A BUNCH OF DOLLS ON HER LIST. SO WE맥스카지노RE THINKING ABOUT, LIKE, GETTING HER A LIKE A BARBIE DREAMHOUSE. WE맥스카지노RE FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS, SO WE KNOW THAT IT맥스카지노LL MAKE THEIR DAY. THEY SPEND MORE THAN AN HOUR PICKING THE PERFECT GIFTS FOR THEIR THIRD GRADER. I THINK, YEAH, I THINK FOR SURE THIS OKAY. AND THEN A KEN DOLL. YEAH. AT THE SAME TIME, MARY HELPS FIND A BACKPACK FOR A KINDERGARTNER WHO LOVES SPARKLES. OH, WAIT, THAT MIGHT BE EVEN BETTER. THAT맥스카지노S PERFECT. AND IT COMES WITH A LUNCHBOX. YEAH. HOW맥스카지노S THAT? OH, IT맥스카지노S A UNICORN. OH, SHE LOVED THAT. AND IT맥스카지노S SPARKLY. FILLING IT UP FEELS REWARDING JUST KNOWING THAT A KID맥스카지노S GOING TO WAKE UP ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, AND IT맥스카지노S GONNA COME DOWN AND SEE THINGS THAT MAYBE THEY WOULDN맥스카지노T BE ABLE TO GET. OKAY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. IT MEANS A LOT. THIS IS FOR ADLEY. DOESN맥스카지노T HAVE ANYTHING YET. THIS IS ALL YOU GOT FOR HER? YES. OH, YOU GOT TO GET HER MORE. I WAS OH, OKAY. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. MARY맥스카지노S GENEROSITY HAS NO LIMITS. I TELL THE KIDS NO. GIVE MORE IF YOU CAN GIVE MORE. GIVE THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THE POWER AND COMFORT OF A TOY. ADOPTED AT FOUR AND A HALF YEARS OLD, MARY LIVED THE FIRST YEARS OF HER LIFE IN AN ITALIAN ORPHANAGE. SHE CAME TO IOWA AFRAID AND NOT ABLE TO SPEAK A WORD OF ENGLISH. DAD SAID THAT I WOULDN맥스카지노T COME TO THEM UNTIL THEY SHOWED ME THE TEDDY BEAR. SO THAT WAS IT. AND MARY HAS LOVED STUFFED ANIMALS EVER SINCE. THIS IS AWESOME. NOW, SHOPPERS ACROSS THE STATE SEE A GOOD DEAL AND DROP TOYS OFF FOR MARY. I FOUND THIS FOR AT WALMART FOR FIVE BUCKS. OKAY, COOL. BUYING BRAND NEW AT A DEEP DISCOUNT ALLOWS HER TO HELP THOUSANDS. I NEVER REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT SPIDER-MAN OR UNDERWEAR WAS TO A KID. OR COATS. SHE맥스카지노S EVEN EXPANDED TO A SECOND WAREHOUSE OF COATS, BOOTS AND CLOTHES. THIS LITTLE GIRL CAME UP AND SAID, LOOK AT MY NEW OUTFIT. I MEAN, THEY WERE SO EXCITED TO GET SOMETHING. AND THEN THEY맥스카지노D SAY, AND THEY STILL HAD TAGS ON THEM. THAT맥스카지노S WHY WE LEAVE THE TAGS ON. SHE WANTS EVERY CHILD TO FEEL SPECIAL AND KNOW THAT EACH GIFT IS CHOSEN JUST FOR THEM. THE NEED IS UNBELIEVABLE. I GET UPSET ABOUT IT. BUT ANYHOW, THERE맥스카지노S JUST SO MANY KIDS THAT NEED HELP AND IF IT WASN맥스카지노T FOR MARY맥스카지노S PROGRAM, THEY WOULDN맥스카지노T GET IT. FROM BOOKS TO BIKES, I맥스카지노M GOING TO HAVE YOU TAKE THIS WITH YOU JUST IN CASE YOU NEED ONE. AN EXTRA ONE. OKAY, MARY NEVER STOPS. SHE맥스카지노S GOT SO MUCH ENERGY. I DON맥스카지노T KNOW WHERE SHE GETS IT. YEAH. I맥스카지노VE ALWAYS TOLD THE KIDS THAT I WANT TO BE MARY WHEN I GROW UP, THAT SHE맥스카지노S AMAZING. YEAH. LIVING OUT HER MISSION. PUT THAT STUFF IN THERE. OKAY, BABE. GOT IT. OH, WAIT. CUTE OF GIVING IN. ALBIA LAURA TERRELL KCCI EIGHT NEWS. IOWA맥스카지노S NEWS LEADER. WE SHOULD ALL STRIVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE MARY. SHE RAISES $75,000 A YEAR TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS THROUGH HER PAY IT FORWARD CHRISTMAS CHARITY NONPROFIT. SHE SAYS HER BARGAIN SHOPPING GOES A LONG WAY. SHE SAYS A $100 DONATION BUYS $500 WORTH OF TOYS.
Real-life Mrs. Claus: Retired teacher provides Christmas gifts to thousands of kids
Mary Sauter believes every child should have toys to open on Christmas. She has dedicated her life to making that happen.
Updated: 12:54 PM EST Dec 24, 2024
Mary Sauter is determined that no child should have to wake up Christmas morning without toys to open. That's why the retired teacher from Iowa shops year-round for brand-new toys at deep discounts. She has filled a warehouse from top to bottom with everything from books to bikes. "I will get notices from people who have distributed toys, and they will say we took this bag of toys to a mother, and she just cried... because she didn't think she was going to have anything for Christmas for her kids, so she just cried," Sauter said. Since she retired, Sauter has been shopping and distributing toys to thousands of children all over Iowa for the last 13 years. She raises about $75,000 a year through donations and a golf tournament through her "Pay It Forward" nonprofit. She is proud of her thrifty shopping and says a $100 donation will buy $500 worth of toys. "The need is unbelievable. I get upset about it. There is just so many kids who need help, and if it wasn't for Mary's program, they wouldn't get it," said Janey Wales, a volunteer who helps Sauter shop and deliver toys.So far, Sauter has given toys to more than 18 school districts across Iowa. Elementary schools identify students in need and send Sauter a list with the children's ages and interests. Sauter is passionate about making sure each child gets gifts picked specifically for them.
ALBIA, Iowa — Mary Sauter is determined that no child should have to wake up Christmas morning without toys to open. That's why the retired teacher from Iowa shops year-round for brand-new toys at deep discounts. She has filled a warehouse from top to bottom with everything from books to bikes.
"I will get notices from people who have distributed toys, and they will say we took this bag of toys to a mother, and she just cried... because she didn't think she was going to have anything for Christmas for her kids, so she just cried," Sauter said.
Since she retired, Sauter has been shopping and distributing toys to thousands of children all over Iowa for the last 13 years. She raises about $75,000 a year through donations and a golf tournament through her "Pay It Forward" nonprofit. She is proud of her thrifty shopping and says a $100 donation will buy $500 worth of toys.
"The need is unbelievable. I get upset about it. There is just so many kids who need help, and if it wasn't for Mary's program, they wouldn't get it," said Janey Wales, a volunteer who helps Sauter shop and deliver toys.
So far, Sauter has given toys to more than 18 school districts across Iowa. Elementary schools identify students in need and send Sauter a list with the children's ages and interests. Sauter is passionate about making sure each child gets gifts picked specifically for them.