Nonprofit group makes Christmas wishes come true for four students

On the seventh day of Christmas a local nonprofit group gave to Monique Turner a swan, a makeover, a wardrobe and one golden ring.

The swan was actually The Ballerina from Cirque du Soleil's "Zarkana" at Aria at CityCenter.

The ballerina is played by Trinity Hamilton, who was dressed in white tights and feathers. Hamilton entered Turner's classroom, honking at students and tiptoeing around the desks.

Turner, a senior at Clark High School, 4291 Pennwood Ave., dreams of becoming a dancer. She was not expecting the visit, nor did she expect to receive an in-class makeover from celebrity hair and makeup artist Kerry Lacy, new clothes from Cache in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and a gold ring with diamonds from Michael E. Minden Diamond Jewelers.

Turner and three other underprivileged students received new gifts each day from Dec. 6-17 from In12Days, 1575 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway.

"It's been more and more exciting each day," Turner said. "I don't know what to expect. I didn't think I was going to get a makeover, but so far, so good."

Other students included Tai Butler, a sophomore at DJ's Community Christian Academy, 95 S. Arroyo Grande Blvd.; Daniel Reyes, a sophomore at Mountain View Christian School's Leadership Institute, 3900 E. Bonanza Road; and Isabelle Stepanova, a junior at The Alexander Dawson School, 10845 W. Desert Inn Road.

The idea for In12Days started in 2008 after founder Suzanne Lea's husband, Bryan, died of a heart attack. During December of that year, Lea and her sons received gifts left on their doorstep from anonymous members of their church. Lea said she was so moved by the gesture, she wanted to give to others the following year.

Last December, In12Days gave gifts to 250 students, but Lea said those gifts, such as show tickets, were on a "shallow level."

"We picked four (students) this year because the give is much deeper," Lea said.

Each student had to apply to be selected and write a short essay about their families. Some of the students had sick parents or parents who died in the past few months.

Turner wrote about living with a single mom who is working two jobs and supporting 10 kids. On a typical Christmas, Turner said she and her siblings would get one or two presents ---- usually shoes, clothes or other necessities.

"I didn't really want anything because I know (my mom) struggled to get it," Turner said.

During the 12 days of gifts, Turner and the other students received a trip for their families to Lake Las Vegas and a night's stay at the Westin, laptop computers, jewelry, academic scholarships, musical instruments and lessons and more.

The final day of gifts included a trip for the four students and their classmates to see a show by several Strip performers at the Mystère Theater at Treasure Island.

Lea said the nonprofit group will continue to support these students for years to come.

"It is like taking on a foster child," Lea said.

For more information, visit in12days.com.

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 702-224-5524.