Winter Wonderland Opened December 3rd & Celebrates 29th Year of Bringing Smiles and Joy to all

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Dec. 12, 2022 - PRLog -- Since 1993, the Clearwater Community Volunteers (CCV) have put on Winter Wonderland, a three-week long charity drive in downtown Clearwater whose proceeds benefit the children of Pinellas County, sponsored by the Church of Scientology. Winter Wonderland is a complete Christmas village with an entertainment stage, photos with Santa, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, a hot chocolate shop, bouncy houses, and the Holiday Express Train.

At the opening ceremony, the Boy Scouts presented the colors and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Event speakers included Ms. Lisa Mansell, from the Church of Scientology who welcomed the community and shared Winter Wonderland's history, Pam Ryan Anderson, Executive Director Winter Wonderland, CCV and Neal Brickfield from the Lealman Police Athletic League (PAL) also shared their passion for helping children and families. And for the grand finale, Santa Claus arrived on horseback and joined the speakers on stage to plug in Winter Wonderland's lights.

When the Holiday village and the 100 real pine trees across the park were lit,
the activities and the Holiday memories began. One woman who attended the Winter Wonderland opening had this to say, "I have never been to Winter Wonderland before. I brought my son here for our mommy-son date night. It is beautiful and there are so many people. We got our hot chocolate and are going to the petting zoo now. This event is just wonderful!"

"Not only is Winter Wonderland a really cool place for children of all ages to come and enjoy, it's a food and toy drive and so it helps needy children. It breaks my heart that there are kids in our community that are starving right here at home. So, we focus on getting as much food and toys for needy families as possible so they can have some holiday or Christmas in their life," said Anderson.

Winter Wonderland is open from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Wed through Sun from Dec. 3^rd to Fri, Dec. 23rd. The entrance to Winter Wonderland is free but visitors are asked to bring a non-perishable food item and/or an unwrapped toy. The toys and canned goods are donated to local area charities, such as the Police Athletics League (PAL) and the Homeless Emergency Project sponsored by Everybody's Tabernacle.

For questions call: 727-442-2099 or or to learn about the Clearwter Community Volunteers please visit www.ccvfl.org.