Volunteers give St. Nick a hand

David Bohn, right, directed St. Edward School students, from left, Braden Heitkamper and Lochlann Bennett and Mike Bennett at the St. Nick Fund shopping event at Target in Jeffersontown. The St. Nick Fund raised more than $27,000 this year and provided gifts for about 900 people. (Record Photos by Jessica Able)

Providing Christmas cheer to families in need is David Bohn’s specialty. For more than 30 years, 17 of them in Louisville, he has organized a Christmas gift drive for families who need a helping hand.

This year, the St. Nick Fund raised more than $27,000 to help buy gifts and other items for individuals in the Louisville area.

About 500 volunteers from St. Edward, St. Gabriel and St. Michael parishes, as well as students from Eastern and duPont Manual high schools and others met at the Jeffersontown Target to look for the perfect toy, cozy mittens and warm blankets.

Dozens and dozens of red carts snaked through the store with hundreds of eager shoppers in tow.

Ava Leake, a seventh-grader at St. Michael School, said volunteering with the St. Nick Fund was one way she could give back.
Lily Jones, an eighth-grader at St. Edward School said she was there because “it’s important to help the community and people who are in need.”

Her mother, Julia Jones, agreed and said the effort benefits individuals in the community who might have a bleak holiday without the charity’s support.

In total, the St. Nick Fund will benefit around 900 children and families this Christmas season.

The names of children and families are provided to the St. Nick Fund by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Jeffersontown Area Ministries and area parishes.

The fund also assists children at Maryhurst, Uspiritus, Churchill Park Elementary School, homeless men served by St. John Center and elderly homebound individuals in Jeffersontown.

All of the money raised for the St. Nick Fund is donated. The largest sponsor is the city of Jeffersontown.

“We have no expenses, no overhead. One hundred percent of donations go towards helping others,” said Bohn. “Our motto is ‘Love thy neighbor,’ ” he said.

Bohn and another organizer, Cynthia Moore, raise money for the fund by providing DJ services at numerous events throughout the year. They donate 100 percent of their proceeds to the fund.

They also secure donations from corporate sponsors and private donors, including parishioners of St. Edward, St. Gabriel and St. Michael. All of the proceeds of the St. Edward Classic, a cross country meet held in the fall, go to the fund as well.

Bohn noted the fund gets “tremendous support” from the pastors and parishioners of St. Edward and St. Michael. St. Michael handles all the charity’s bookkeeping, saving thousands per year.

“There is a true joy in giving. I teach my kids that it is in giving that we receive. If you say you are blessed in your life, you should give thanks, not just by saying it but by your actions,” he said.

Bohn and his wife, Whitney, have six children and are parishioners of St. Michael.

duPont Manual High School students, from left, Mia
Breitenstein, Parker Mindel and John Woodhouse selected Christmas gifts for individuals assisted by the St. Nick Fund. The charitable organization provides gifts, clothing and food to those in need in Louisville.
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Jessica Able
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Jessica Able
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