Children often imagine themselves as princesses, superheroes, historical figures or scary creatures. WonderCostumes.com, an e-commerce store located near the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, is helping youngsters bring their imaginations to life.
WonderCostumes.com specializes in year-round sales of costumes, decorative props, and costume accessories at discount prices.
The folks at Wonder Costumes are all too aware of the extraordinary effect that a tailored piece of fabric in mimicry of a popular character can have on a young tot. With the spirit of community service in mind, they recently volunteered to participate in a playtime activity for the elementary schoolaged students of the Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center after-school care program.
The Jorge Mas Canosa Community Center, located in Miami, is what you would call an all-in-one. From after-school care programs to senior activities, to athletic teams and support groups, the center has it all. Mostly serving the residents of the Sweetwater vicinity, the students in the after-school care program are all from nearby elementary schools.
They are picked up from school and dropped off via bus where they are able to enjoy a Miami-Dade County subsidized curriculum that offers snacks, tutoring, and inclass activities for only $4 a day. Students can get their homework done and still have time to socialize while they wait for their 9- to-5 working parents to pick them up.
Wonder Costumes recently donated 37 costumes to the youth center’s after-school care children. Some of the staff at the ecommerce company even agreed to arrive in costumes themselves to liven things up. The company’s copywriter Aimee Mahmoud was left with the task of helping put this event together along with cofounder Lidia Caraballo.
The event took place on Apr. 14. Aimee dressed up in the character of Disney’s Alice In Wonderland. One of Wonder Costume’s shipping clerks named Tamara Vilchez, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood.
The children ended up drawing their favorite character. Some finished drawing Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Spongebob Squarepants, and some unidentifiable characters from the Call of Duty video games are the most common subjects. The children also were called one-byone for a photo opportunity with Little Red Riding Hood and Alice.
Laughter and cheers echoed throughout the building as the students complimented each others artistic abilities. Treat bags were given out to all of the students as a participation gift. A short trivia game followed.
Finally, came the grand finale of handing out the costumes. Every costume had been individually hand-picked according to the student’s interests: Ninjas, Power Rangers, Greek goddesses, Superheroes and Disney Princess costumes were apparently the most popular choices. The students clapped and cheered for each other when their surprises were revealed from the inside of treat bags. However, the real fun began when four of the best-behaved students appeared in full costume.
A lovely girl named Priscilla made a dazzling pirate princess, a sweet one named Cindy was a feisty feline, Noah was a terrifying ninja warrior, and bashful David was insistent that he didn’t precisely resemble his favorite superhero, Iron Man.
This experience has led Wonder Costumes to want to take part in kid friendly community service opportunities whenever possible. The company just launched its new website.
Wonder Costumes is located at 13232 SW 131 St. Miami, FL 33176.
Aimee Mahoud also contributed to this story.
