Inspire Entertainment Magazine Winter 2013 Vol. 3 | Page 31

Giving Back
get what they want for Christmas,
and that’s all that matters.”
All of the children who participate in
the shopping spree have been exposed to parental abuse of some form
and now live with an extended family
member as their primary caretaker.
For Johnson, bringing a smile to their
faces is particularly meaningful. “All
the kids that have been here every
year have gotten gifts for their brothers and sisters or cousins or whoever,” he said. “It just shows that no
matter what they go through, they
think about others. That’s what type
of kids they are.”
For Johnson, bringing a smile to their
faces is particularly meaningful. “All
the kids that have been here every
year have gotten gifts for their brothers and sisters or cousins or whoever,” he said. “It just shows that no
matter what they go through, they
think about others. That’s what type
of kids they are.”
And giving back shows what kind of
heart Johnson has. Johnson understands how important it is to encourage children to be all that they can be
and not to let their environment stop
them from following their dreams.
“A lot of these kids get discouraged
because of where they grew up. I

Andre Johnson holds up the shopping
spree receipts from Toys “R” Us for
$19,521.
grew up in a single-parent home and I was
fortunate to achieve my goals.
So, whatever goals you have, just keep
them out in front of you and don’t let anybody distract you away from them. There
will be distractions that try to detour you
away from your goals, but stay your
course. You will get there,” says Johnson. We celebrate Johnson for stepping up
and giving back to his community. He is
truly a blessing.