Kevin Hart, Sam's Club surprise Positive Tomorrows families, staff with holiday gifts, donation

Kevin Hart, Sam's Club and Laugh Out Loud teamed up to take the holidays "to an 11" for the families and staff of Oklahoma City's Positive Tomorrows school.

Last week, Hart and the companies celebrated Positive Tomorrows as one of five organizations making a big difference in children’s lives by surprising them with a $100,000 donation. In addition to the monetary contribution, some families and children also had a unique holiday wish — from laptops to karaoke machines to dollhouses — fulfilled by the trio.

“One of the best things you can do for yourself is believe in other people,” Hart said. “I’ve always had people in my life that believed in me, and I believe in the power of passing that onto others. The donations we made went to organizations that believe in the future of kids and their families. I’m proud we were able to work together to make a big impact.”

The other organizations that received donations were Special Needs Network of Los Angeles, Houston Child Advocates of Houston, Boys & Girls Club of Springfield, Missouri, and Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida in Orlando.

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Susan Agel, president and CEO of Positive Tomorrows, said the group was referred to the program by a local vendor. Oklahoma City had been selected as one of the locations for the event and a nonprofit in the area needed to be chosen. Once chosen, Positive Tomorrows was given more information, but not all of the details were shared.

"It's just really an exciting thing to work on because that just kind of dropped out of the sky on us and it's been a real blessing," Agel said.

Families and children were told Sam’s Club had organized a simple holiday party for them, but that wasn't all. Agel said the Moore Sam's Club where the event was hosted was decorated with Christmas trees and gifts for each family. The families enjoyed a meal, Sam's employees gave each family a membership and gift card and still no one knew Hart had another surprise in store.

"That was about the time when Kevin Hart appeared on the television," she said. "Some of our older kids knew who he was, their parents definitely knew who he was."

Agel said many of the parents were shocked or in disbelief as Hart began speaking on the virtual call. After sharing a little more information, Hart let the Sam’s Club associates on hand deliver even more to the families.

“These groups have an incredible impact on the communities and families they serve,” said Tony Rogers, senior vice president and chief member officer, Sam’s Club. "It’s been an honor for us to work together with Kevin and Laugh Out Loud to recognize their work with gifts that allow them to further their missions.”

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Agel said watching the families her school serves react to seeing Hart was memorable, but even better was seeing their response to the generosity.

She said Sam's gave each family carts of household essentials, including towels, microwaves, pots and pans, dishes, linens and more. Many of the families have recently transitioned out of homelessness and the gifts brought several of the moms to tears, Agel said. She recalled one father telling his partner the gifts were all the things they'd been needing.

"I know that, for all of our families, they get by with what they have," she said. "This was a really wonderful opportunity for them."

Agel said the work done at Positive Tomorrows is unique. She said while similar schools exist in Atlanta and San Diego, the work is something Oklahoma City residents should be proud to see happening in their city.

The school is currently accepting gift items in preparation for its Merry Market. Agel said the market allows kids and parents a chance to shop for one another, empowering them with a sense of normalcy.

Agel said the gift from Hart will help Positive Tomorrows make sure all of their families have a great Christmas. The school will be providing each family with "Christmas in a Box," including a tree and decorations to make sure it feels like Christmas for the kids. However, the bulk of the donation will be used to allow the school to reach more students, she said.

"We have turned away more than 40 kids so far this school year and we'll be using this funding to allow us to open some of those slots back up," Agel said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kevin Hart and Sam's Club give holiday surprise to Positive Tomorrows