Nahla Abrahim is looking forward to two celebrations next Sunday — her eighth birthday and Father’s Day.
On Saturday morning, she and her four siblings prepared for the celebrations by stopping at the Center for People in Need in Lincoln, where they were able to select a free gift for their dad.
The Center hosts annual events for children to select presents for their family members. Nearly 250 families showed up Saturday morning to pick out Father's Day gifts, said director Beatty Brasch.
Nahla walked up and down one of the four long tables filled with gifts — everything from a toolbox or cooler to a grill spatula or deodorant — before she picked out snacks and a pair of aviator sunglasses for her father. She followed volunteers to a gift-wrap station and carefully colored in the letters “Dad†on a card.
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Back in Iraq, Father’s Day isn’t celebrated as largely as it is in America, her older sister, Shaima Abrahim, said.Â
The free Father's Day gifts helps them celebrate holiday the same way other American families do.
As soon as they arrived in Lincoln, the Abrahim family connected with the Center, which welcomed them, Shaima said.Â
Through the Center, they have also been able to connect with other families also adjusting to a new life in America.
Brasch said the event is an opportunity for children in low-income families to give gifts they may not be able to afford and helps to normalize their situation and fit in with peers.Â
The Center for People in Need helps over 10,000 Lincoln families each year by providing food assistance and English-language classes, among other things. They host similar events around other holidays, like Mother's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The presents are donated by community members, businesses, staff members or volunteers and occasionally purchased by the Center. Sixteen volunteers and about a dozen staff members helped the event run smoothly Saturday.
Director of Programs Steve Sheridan said the best part is watching the excitement as kids pick out their gifts.
"Just by looking at the smiles on their faces, they love it," he said. "It's something they can do, some place they can go to pick out the items for Dad and you just see the smiles on their face as they're coming through — this is fun for them that they get to do this."