Events

Over 650 Served at 71st Charles Reid Foundation Christmas Party on Sunday

Published

7 years ago

December 21, 2018

Chevron Richmond employee volunteers at the 71st Annual Charles Reid Foundation Christmas Party. (Photos by Mike Kinney).

After 71 consecutive years, the Charles Reid Foundation Christmas Party hasn’t skipped a beat.
Over 650 attendees received toys and clothing during the annual giveaway on Sunday at the Richmond Police Activities League center at 22nd Street and Macdonald Avenue. Santa handed out scooters, toy cars, dolls, soccer balls and more.
A popular playground director at Shields Reid Park in North Richmond, the late Charles Reid first launched and sponsored the annual party in 1947, when he started handing out stockings with food items to neighborhood kids. It grew from there to become an annual tradition.
After Reid’s death, family members continued the event until it was transferred into a charitable trust foundation by Charles Reid’s grandson, Todd Lewis, according to organizer Claudia Lewis. The foundation’s board members and many volunteers now carry the torch.
The event is funded by corporate and private sponsors, notably Chevron, which has been a major donor since the beginning. Other major spon¬sors include Stifel Nicolaus, Mechanics Bank and Rich-mond PAL, which provides its facility to hold the party.
While the thrill of giving hasn’t changed, some of the toys have. One of the more popular gifts given away were scooters. Dozens of smiling young people toted shiny new scooters from the RPAL build-ing.
As the Charles Reid Foundation works closely with the NFL Players Association, most Santas are retired foot¬ball players, Claudia Lewis said.
“Some have attended the event when they were kids and now go full circle by being Santa,” she said.
One parent, Maria, said she’s grateful that her kids can have a great Christmas thanks to the foundation’s efforts.
“Many parents said that it was important that their chil¬dren have a good Christmas season and all agreed how important the toy giveaway was to their families and the com¬munity,” she said.

Mike Kinney

Posts by Mike Kinney

Activism

Mayor Barbara Lee Proclaims April 9 as ‘100 Black Men of the Bay Area Day’

“Today, the 100th day of the year, I proclaim 100 Black Men Day,” said Mayor Barbara Lee standing with newly appointed Oakland Port Commissioner Derek Mohammad, a 100 Black Men member. “Whereas the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area has demonstrated decades of unwavering commitment to uplifting youth and strengthening families and advancing opportunity and access in Oakland and the greater Bay Area with their signature programs…the chapter has impacted thousands of young people and contributed thousands of hours of community service…”

Published

5 days ago

April 19, 2026

Oakland Post

At D. Monaghan’s on the Hill, a resolution declaring April 9 ‘100 Black Men of the Bay Area Day’ was witnessed by (l.-r.) 100 Black Men leaders Maurice Harold, Marco T. Lindsey, Danny Lee Williams, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins, Port of Oakland Commissioner Derek Mohammad, and Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

When Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced that she would proclaim Thursday, April 9, as “100 Black Men of the Bay Area Day,” the organization’s board chairman and owner of D. Monaghan’s on the Hill, Danny Lee Williams knew he wanted to mark the historic moment with fanfare his community could share.

Standing at the podium on the patio of his restaurant in the Oakland Hills, he welcomed about 150 members of the organization and the broader community who gathered to celebrate.

“This is a special day, and we are in the midst of our Economic Empowerment week,” he said. Williams also welcomed four vendors to sell their gifts and accessories during the event free of charge.

Lee shared how as a single parent of two boys, she was grateful to have the organization’s support in mentoring her sons.

“Today, my adult son is a member in Illinois, and I thank the organization for supporting so many Black boys.”

The idea for the proclamation originated with Oakland City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, who praised the organization for its leadership and contributions to Oakland and the greater Bay Area.

“This work that we do would not be possible without partnerships with organizations like the 100 Black Men,” said Jenkins. “We’re saving lives, restoring communities, and giving people hope and opportunities.”

“This is Oakland,” said Mayor Lee. “This is what we’re about. It’s about new ideas, thinking outside the box and being who we are. It’s about bringing joy. This is our holiday.”

The mayor also thanked the organization for volunteering during Oakland Cleanup days.

Councilmember Janani Ramachandran added that while many complain about problems in the city, “the 100” put in the work.

“It’s hard to be in the community and do the work, but that is exactly what the 100 Black Men does,” she said.

The organization’s economic chair and associate director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the University of California Berkeley’s Business School, Marco T. Lindsey, shared his enthusiasm for change.

“Today is the culmination of our work and something special is happening in our organization and our city,” he said. “We have a special opportunity to show up for our community now in ways that we haven’t had in the past. We have a mayor that supports us and it’s important that each and every one of us do our part. We all need our fingerprints on whatever we want to see in our city.”

Lindsey also expressed that if underserved youth and their parents had access to the resources needed for success, “Our youth wouldn’t be breaking windows and joining gangs if they had a pathway to earn $75k to $100k a year.”

The 100 Black Men were hosts of an Economic Empowerment Forum at McClymonds High School on April 11 educating students on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. On Sat., April 18, they will hold their fifth annual Career Expo at Contra Costa College 2600 Mission Bell Drive (G225) in San Pablo from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 100 Black Men chapter of the Bay Area was established in 1988, one of the earliest in the nation.

For more information visit 100blackmenba.org