KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It’s the Holiday Season! Well, maybe not quite.
But it is really the Holiday Mart Season, thanks to the Junior League of Kansas City.
"I can't believe that it's here to be honest with you, and then we're going to blink and we'll be finished," said Kristal Ronnebaum, 2017 Holiday Mart Co-Chair.
For the next four days, Bartle Hall in Kansas City will be transformed into a winter wonderland.
"We promised to bring the holiday cheer and they have aced it this year," said Ronnebaum.
Think of it as the southern branch of Santa’s workshop.
Even the event co-chairs’ names have that holiday feeling: Kristal Ronnebaum and December Brammer.
The Holiday Mart is a celebration of 30 years of “Great Shopping For A Great Cause.”
"Everyone is contributing here and it's a very powerful, inspiring thing," said Ronnebaum.
According to Kristal and December, more than 200 amazing vendors are set up and ready to go.
There are a variety of ticket options but, remember, the money raised goes to help women and children in Kansas City.
"All of the funds that we raise here go back in to support the great work that needs to be done in the city, and our impact area within the Junior League right now focuses on women's self-sustainability and child development," said Ronnebaum.
We’ve had a lot of numbers in this story like “four days” and “30 years” and “200 vendors.”
Here’s the most important one: 10 million.
That is how much money The Junior League’s Holiday Mart has raised for their charities over the last three decades. By Sunday, the Junior League expects to raise $500,000.
"It gives me great inspiration and I have so much passion for the work that we're doing here and again, everybody that knows what we're up to, I know that it tugs their heartstrings too and we should all be very proud," said Ronnebaum.
Somewhere, even in October, Santa is smiling!
