With Love and Elves, Holiday Express Brightened the Holidays for Many

1032
Trinity Hall students helped out at a Holiday Express event hosted by the school. The nonprofit visits some 100 groups each season to bring the “gift of human kindness.” Courtesy Holiday Express

By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez

When the last of the Holiday Express events were over Christmas Eve, when Santa hung up his suit for the last time for 2022, and all the musicians and volunteers finally went home for a long winter’s nap, it seems the holiday season was made a little brighter for many.

Celebrating the charity’s 30th season of delivering “the gift of human kindness,” Holiday Express has entertained nearly 30,000 children and adults struggling with mental health, physical disabilities, poverty, homelessness and other challenges. 

“Bringing live music to the people we serve has always been a crucial element of what we do, but it is the other volunteers who truly bring the ‘gift of human kindness,’ ”
said founder Tim McLoone of Little Silver. “We can be singing away but they are the ones touching people, speaking with them, making crafts and bringing smiles.”

The restaurateur and musician established the unique music-sharing, gift-giving organization in 1993 to bring joy to the “isolated and often forgotten during the holidays.” 

“Most of what we do is done by volunteers,” said Eileen Higgins, executive director of Holiday Express. “We only have three staff members.” And teens are an important part of the volunteer contingent. Higgins credits Amy Robinsons, director of operations, who has been coordinating for years with area high schools, such as Red Bank Regional, Red Bank Catholic, Christian Brothers Academy and others, for volunteers. 

The teens have proved instrumental in season and preseason, from helping stuff goodie bags distributed at the holiday events to setting up fundraising and other events held throughout the year. For a seasonal group like Holiday Express, volunteers are needed for the fundraising, prepping and more that goes on all year.


“They really feel like it’s a great opportunity to work with a
population we don’t see on a daily basis… It’s a chance to pay it forward
and make it an experience they’ll remember.”

   Cindy Sobieski,
dean for student life at Trinity Hall


Holiday Express holds a clam bake at the end of each summer. “It may sound like fun to have a party on the beach, but you need a lot of young strong backs to carry all that equipment through the sand,” Higgins laughed.

The bond between students and Holiday Express has been going on for decades. For Holiday Express events – a traveling concert and party that comes to the group – many hands are needed. Some schools, such as Trinity Hall and CBA, have hosted events where students play elves. While the band entertains and characters such as Frosty and the Grinch make their appearances, elves distribute food, snacks and gifts and dance with the guests. 

“It really is a village that makes it happen here,” said Higgins.

In addition, volunteers of all ages are needed for the warehouse, especially for creating the hundreds of gift bags given out during the holiday events. “We haven’t had many people at the warehouse because of the pandemic,” said Higgins, but with strict guidelines, it’s getting easier. 

Each year schools and youth groups hold collections and drives for the items needed for gift bags – socks, gloves and more. This year, Higgins said, they learned the item most in demand for next year: crayons. “They’re expensive and both kids and adults are asking for them.”

Some kids have grown up volunteering with Holiday Express and the experience imparts lessons not taught in classrooms. “I think it opens their eyes to what’s happening in the community,” Higgins said. “They learn about organizations they’re not aware of.”

Cindy Sobieski, dean for student life at Trinity Hall in Tinton Falls, oversees the programming that happens for community service events in school. This season, the school hosted a Holiday Express event for Family Resource Associates, a nonprofit that helps people of all ages with disabilities. The 12 or so Trinity Hall students – or elves – danced, helped with arts and crafts and sang with the 150 or so guests.

“They really feel like it’s a great opportunity to work with a population we don’t see on a daily basis,” Soblieski said of the students. “It’s a chance to pay it forward and make it an experience they’ll remember.” 

For many Holiday Express fans and supporters, the annual benefit concerts at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank Dec. 19 and 20 are a chance to see the troupe in action. This year more than 1,700 people attended the festive concerts which raised over $170,000.

Higgins said event proceeds will support costs associated with the traveling shows, including transportation to over 100 stops in the tristate region, lighting, sound equipment and costumes. All gifts and meals shared with the organizations are donated and 2,500 volunteers give their time and talents at the seasonal shows and throughout the year. Additional fundraising events are scheduled in 2023, Higgins added.

To learn more about volunteering or supporting Holiday Express visit holidayexpress.org

The article originally appeared in the January 5 – 11, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.