DALLAS — This year Santa isn’t the only one giving presents. In North Texas, Spider-Man is handing out toys to random kids come Christmas morning.
For the last seven years, power-couple Jantzen Ray and Catherine Chensky, have given the gift of a random act of kindness.
Ray and Chensky started the tradition in 2015 when they volunteered to host a donation drive for Toys for Tots through their business, Dallas On-Air.
“No one came to pick up the toys,” said Ray.
As he was driving with the toys in his car, he saw a kid who looked sad sitting at a bus stop. He and Chensky thought it would be cool to pull over and give the kid a toy, and just leave
That same year, Ray purchased a cheap Spider-Man costume for Halloween. He decided it would be cool to dress up as Spider-Man and drive around South Dallas neighborhoods, giving toys to random kids they came across.
“That first year we truly saved the day for those kids,” said Ray. “Some of them told us they hadn’t gotten anything for Christmas. Suddenly, Spider-Man is jumping out of nowhere and giving them a bunch of toys.”
What started as a fun idea to put a smile on a sad kid’s face has turned into a tradition eight years in the making now called A Very Spidey Christmas.
“There are a lot of great organizations that pass out toys around Christmas time,” said Ray. “But what makes us awesomely different is we pass them out on Christmas Day when many of these kids might not have woken up to presents.”
Over the years Ray has become your friendly neighborhood Spidey Santa, but he couldn’t do it without the help of friends like Julie Mitchell who welcomed a toy donation box in the Dollar General store she manages in Grand Prairie.
“This couple really wants to give back to their community,” said Mitchell. “For the last six years, it’s been a joy to help them in their mission. I’m always amazed to see how our customers will buy an extra toy to leave in the donation box.”
This year, they set up six donation boxes around the DFW area. They will give all the toys they collect out to kids on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They usually drive around South Dallas and Oak Cliff neighborhoods where they know some kids might not get a visit from Santa.
“I cannot wait for the videos they post on Facebook Christmas Day,” said Mitchell. “Just to watch the kids get all excited when they see Spider-Man walking down their street handing out gifts. It’s very touching, and it makes me emotional. It just makes me want to do more the following year.”
Ray and Chensky have created a tradition with a mission of joy. Some of their friends volunteer in super hero costumes to help distribute the gifts. Now their operation is an official 501c3 called Heroes United.
“That’s nice because anyone who wants to donate can use their gift as a tax write-off,” said Chensky. “We would love to see this grow into something bigger in the future but it’s hard and we need more help every year.”
The toy drive had a slow start this year, and the couple is afraid this might be the last.
Even though the tradition continues to gain popularity, the funds aren’t coming-in. This year, they started a GoFundMe campaign to help continue their work. As of noon Dec. 22, the fundraiser is more than $3,500 away from reaching its $5,000 goal.
“We really do want to continue next year. We just don’t know if it’s going to be possible,” said Ray.
When asked why they’ve dedicated so much time year after year to the cause, Ray responded, “If we had to describe what we do in one sentence, it would be; we do this because it’s the right thing to do,” with a smile on his face.
If you would like to make a donation, it’s not too late. You can reach A Very Spidey Christmas by emailing HeroesUnitedOrg@gmail.com or by texting 214-853-3513.
For more information, visit their Facebook page.
If you have an interesting story or an issue you’d like to see covered, let us know about it.
Share your ideas with DFW Human-Interest reporter Lupe Zapata: Lupe.Zapata@Charter.com.