African American Child Wellness Institute to Host First Annual Visit with Santa Event
The African American Child Wellness Institute will host its first annual Visit with Santa event on Saturday, December 13, welcoming more than 100 children and their families to Urban League Twin Cities. The celebration will feature a Black Santa Claus, free toys and books, warm refreshments, live entertainment, and on site health screenings focused on supporting family wellness and community care.
Despite the frigid December weather, families are expected to gather for a joyful holiday celebration hosted by the African American Child Wellness Institute on Saturday, December 13. The organization will hold its first annual Visit with Santa event, inviting children to sit with a Black Santa Claus, share their Christmas wishes, and enjoy a day centered on culture, care, and community.
The event will welcome more than one hundred children and their families. Guests will be offered hot cocoa, hot tea, and cookies provided by the Cookie Cart. Children will be encouraged to choose a book, select an unwrapped toy from under the Christmas tree, and capture photos with Santa as they share their holiday wishes.
While families wait, Chik’N Wing the Magic Clown will entertain children by creating balloon shapes and adding to the festive atmosphere.
“This is a great way to support our children during the holiday, and I wanted to be a part of it,” said Ashley Bolden, a community member and local entrepreneur who will host a table offering warm drinks to families during the event.
The celebration will also include a focus on health and wellness. Staff from the City of Minneapolis Department of Public Health will invite parents to visit the Mobile Medical Unit parked in the Urban League Twin Cities lot. Families will have access to health screenings, including blood pressure checks, A1C tests, and cholesterol screenings.
More than five hundred unwrapped toys donated by Toys for Tots will be available for distribution. In addition, the Network for the Development of Children of African Descent and Half Price Books will provide more than three hundred books for children to take home.
The Visit with Santa event will take place at the Urban League Twin Cities, located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North in Minneapolis, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
About the African American Child Wellness Institute
The African American Child Wellness Institute was founded in 2009 by Dr. BraVada Garrett Akinsanya as a culturally specific, trauma informed mental health organization. The institute focuses on the psychological and spiritual well being of children of African descent, from infancy through age eighteen, along with their families.
AACWI is uniquely recognized as the only mental health organization in Minnesota where one hundred percent of its therapists are African American. It also is the only mental health organization in the state that specializes exclusively in serving African American clients.
The institute provides mental health services to individuals, families, couples, and groups across the Twin Cities and beyond. Services are offered regardless of ability to pay and include home based care, school linked therapy, telehealth services, and in office counseling.
Through events like Visit with Santa, AACWI continues to center culture, wellness, and community support for families across Minneapolis.