VISION STATEMENT
Two Hours a Month Serving Our Neighbor
We envision a community where no child wakes up on Christmas morning without a gift, no family gathers without a meal, and no household feels forgotten during the holiday season.
For more than 20 years, Christmas Alive has been a beacon of hope, joy, and community for families facing hardship during the holiday season. What began as a small local effort has grown into a movement that now supports up to 300 families annually across Frederick County, western Carroll County, and northwest Howard
County.
Christmas Alive unites neighbors, businesses, churches, and civic leaders in a shared mission: to bring joy, dignity, and hope to families in need, while inspiring a culture of generosity lasting well beyond Christmas. The heart of Christmas Alive is grounded in the radical love we have experienced through Jesus.
He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
John 13:4
What is Christmas Alive?
Christmas Alive is a community event. We partner with local non-profit organizations, local businesses, local churches, and grocery stores to nominate families in need, sponsor families, and ensure all nominated families receive food, hygiene supplies, and personalized gifts.
Process
Waterboyz provides all oversight and coordination.
Local churches and non-profits nominate families.
Waterboyz and local churches sponsor the nominated families.
The sponsor communicates directly with the nominated family to understand each family member's needs and gift wishes. Waterboyz provides interpreters as needed.
Sponsors purchase gifts (or gift cards) for the family.
Waterboyz supplies food and hygiene items for each sponsored family. We typically offer additional food or winter clothing based on donations from our community partners.
We set a distribution day for sponsors to pick up food and distribute the food and gifts directly into the hands of the nominated family at their home.
Who do we serve?
Christmas Alive targets people who are underserved, under-resourced and often invisible within our community with no criteria of race, creed, religion, or political affiliation.
Many of the families we serve fall within the ALICE threshold (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed).
We do not accept self-nominations. Families are nominated through our Community Partners, local churches and through Waterboyz.
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
John 13:14
Impact and 2025 Recap
100+
Volunteers Who Served
750+
Combined Service Hours
240
Volunteers Who Gave Their Time
1,431
Total People Served
726
Children Served
sponsors and Foundations
Supported by the Community
Churches/Local Group Partners
Local Business and Donating Partners
Non-Profit Partners
TESTIMONIAL
Sheresa
Sheresa was part of the Christmas Alive program in 2024. She had lost hope of what life could be. She is single mom, and was just trying to make ends meet. The knock came on her door a week before Christmas and food and gifts came rolling in. She felt something that she hadn’t felt in some time. Real love. It didn’t stop there.
Follow up phone calls from her sponsor family continued to help her feel connected and stoked the flame of hope that was ignited on Christmas.
Sheresa said because of Christmas Alive, “I found hope again. I registered for college. I'm graduating next month. And here's the best news, my daughter and I are being baptized together.”
