New Bedford Duo Brings Back Christmas Wishes for Struggling Families

For the eighth year in a row, Kevin and Lori Dean are preparing to do what they do best: make Christmas morning a reality for families who otherwise might go without.

What started as a simple act of generosity has grown into one of the area’s most heartfelt traditions. Christmas Wishes is a locally run “family adoption” program that ensures children in need wake up to gifts and a moment of magic.

The idea is simple but powerful.

How Christmas Wishes Works

Families apply, provide their documentation, and share their stories. From there, the community steps in. People choose a child or an entire family to “adopt,” shop off their Christmas lists, and deliver the gifts that will light up their Christmas morning. It’s not adoption in a legal sense; it’s adopting the responsibility of making a child believe in the holiday, if only for a day.

As for the program’s impact, ask anyone Kevin has met along the way, and they'll tell you: it’s life-changing.

One Big Night to Support Hundreds of Local Kids

Each year, Kevin and Lori host a fundraiser to help cover the additional costs that come with fulfilling every wish list. Traditionally, it’s taken the form of a fun-filled pub crawl, but like many great things, it grew… and grew… and grew.

So this year, the event takes on a new form: one massive Christmas Wishes Festival, all under one roof at The Vault on 791 Purchase Street in New Bedford. Doors open at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 29. Tickets are a $20 donation, and every cent helps give local kids the Christmas they deserve.

Rule No. 1: The Hawaiian luau theme stays. So dig out the shirts, the leis, the bright colors, and bring the warm energy even if the temperature outside disagrees. Looking to dance? They will be acoustic acts, multiple performers, a band called Waiting On Wednesday, and it all caps off with Troy DeMello & Company, the official Christmas Wishes Jam Band for the night.

There will also be a Chinese auction packed with prizes, including Celtics tickets and tickets to other sporting events.

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The Giving Tree: Helping the Kids Still Waiting

Even with dozens of families already adopted, there are always children still waiting for someone to choose them. That’s where the Giving Tree comes in.

At Saturday’s event, a Christmas tree will display the names of children who have not yet been matched with a sponsor. Guests can pick a name, shop for the child, and later hand off the unwrapped gifts (very important that they are not wrapped) to Kevin’s team, who then coordinate a private, secure meeting with the family.

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Sponsors also receive something incredibly meaningful: photos or videos on Christmas morning, showing the children opening the very gifts they purchased – a moment shared only between the sponsor and the family.

Why Kevin Does It: A Childhood Memory That Never Left

The heart of Christmas Wishes beats from Kevin’s own childhood.

Growing up in a small apartment, sharing space with five siblings, Christmas was more of a hope than an expectation. Some years, a simple Matchbox car was the only gift he received, and yet it felt like magic.

“That was my Christmas miracle,” Kevin said. “Remembering the joy it brought me, and seeing that joy in children today, that’s why I do this.”

Now a father himself, and someone who recently adopted a child of his own, he knows firsthand the power of giving, stability, and love. Christmas Wishes is his way of paying it forward, not just with gifts, but with dignity.

How the Gifts Reach the Families

After Saturday’s event wraps up, the work truly begins. Sponsors finish their shopping, hand off the bags of gifts, and Kevin’s team organizes pickups with each family. Everything is done with privacy and respect to each family.

On Christmas morning, those families send back photos and videos as proof that the community made a difference. Proof that someone cared.

Proof of what happens when the SouthCoast shows up.