• Tallahassee’s Buffalo Soldiers took 30 kids on a holiday shopping spree.
• Each child paired up with a soldier to shop at a local Walmart with an $125 budget.
• Watch the video to hear from parents about what this initiative means to them this holiday season.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Several families in Leon County got some help with putting gifts under the tree this year.

It was all thanks to the National Association of Buffalo Soldiers ‘Shopping with a Soldier’ event!

On Sunday, 30 kids from the One Church, One Child Organization, and The Boys and Girls Club were each paired with a Buffalo Soldier to run through a Walmart and pick out gifts for themselves.

Each kid had a $125 budget and a whole lot of fun!

Now the third year of this holiday tradition, Cecil Porter with the Buffalo Soldiers says the goal is, “to give them a surprise so they can experience Christmas independent of their income or their parents’ income.”

Diana Gaskins’ grandchildren took part in the event. Gaskins said, “This was actually a wonderful benefit for me. It helped my grandkids get some of the things that they wanted, not so much as everything they needed. So I think it’s a beautiful thing that they’re doing. It’s amazing!”