Watch as Myrtle Beach firefighters make 2 girls’ Christmas wishes come true

When 5-year-old Kyema Simmons and her older sister Kymya, 7, stepped inside the Myrtle Beach Fire Department on Thursday, their eyes lit up as they spotted several wrapped Christmas presents and a brand new bicycle.

“It means a lot to me and it means a lot to the girls too, because I know I wasn’t able to get them all of this stuff right here for Christmas,” said Linda Holoman, the girls’ great-grandmother.

The Myrtle Beach Professional Firefighters Association, an organization of local firefighters, raised money to give underprivileged children in Myrtle Beach area schools the opportunity to have gifts to open up on Christmas.

On Thursday, Holoman visited the fire department with her two great-granddaughters to pick up their presents. The girls also got to see the inside of the fire engines, practice riding their new bike and even play with the department’s dog, a Dalmatian named Tower.

“It’s a good blessing to me and it’s a great blessing to them too for them to receive that many gifts from one organization and a bicycle too,” Holoman said. “The girls are very, very excited about what they got.”

This year, organizers raised around $2,500 through the annual pancake breakfast with Santa event held earlier this month, which provided enough funds to give presents to 30 children.

“For us watching them receive the gifts, that’s really what Christmas is about and that’s why we created this event,” said Brian Wastler of MBFD.

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Watch as Myrtle Beach firefighters make 2 girls’ Christmas wishes come true."