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After months of being put on pause over COVID-19 safety concerns, Carlson Cares made a comeback in a major way through our to-go snack pack giveaway down the street from our Waco office in the Waco American Classifieds parking lot. Much like the rest of the country, Carlson Cares has been working tirelessly to think of innovative ways to serve our community through the pandemic. 

On Saturday, July 11, Carlson Law Firm employees gave away 160 snack-packs in a drive-thru service. 

“When we started thinking about how we wanted to serve the Waco community this year, we had to take a lot into consideration,” attorney Dominic Braus said. “We knew that we had to practice social distancing and we knew that we had to give away something people needed.” 

In the snack-packs, children received a variety of breakfast and lunch items as well as snacks. 

Over 30% of Wacoans live below the poverty line and many suffer the devastating consequences of hunger. The Carlson Law Firm launched its Carlson Cares program two years ago to laser focus our charitable efforts on the people in our community who need it most.

“We recognize that this is a time when people are hurting, financially and, maybe in some cases, mentally because they’ve been stuck in the house,” Braus said. “It was our pleasure to host an event that got people out of the house and helped families worry less about where the next meal will come from.”

Families also had a chance to win a family membership to Cameron Park Zoo by posting a fun photo on social media. 

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of others in the Waco community: 

94.5 The Beat

Waco American Classifieds, A Thrifty Nickel Publication

Texas Pain Consultants

Budget Auto Repair

Law Office of Carlos Diaz

Central Texas Litigation Support Services Inc.

Waco All Bills Paid

Captain Billy Whizzbangs

KILLEEN, Texas — Six Texas families will have a brighter Christmas this year thanks to the hardworking elves in The Carlson Law Firm. 

Each year, The Carlson Law Firm asks for nominations to bless a family in need of a Christmas Miracle. This year, the firm doubled the number of miracles and helped six families all over the state. 

The full video is below.

Austin – Manuel and Milka

This year we kicked off our Christmas Miracle in the Lone Star State’s capital, Austin. Milka and Manuel were nominated by two different people this year for The Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle after the family lost everything in a fire earlier this year. While  Manuel, Milka and their two young children were sleeping, their apartment caught fire. Manuel was able to get himself, his wife and the oldest child out of the home. However, his youngest son was trapped in his room. Despite the fact that the father could no longer see due to the smoke and flames, he risked his own life and braved the blaze to save his son’s life. As a result, the father suffered significant burns and is now unable to work because of his injuries. 

The family lost everything in the fire. Milka has taken to working overnights so that she can care for her husband and sons during the day. Currently, the family is living with family members. 

The firm received two submissions nominating Manuel and Milka for our Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle. To help the family through this period in their life, The Carlson Law Firm gifted the entire family warm coats. We also made sure their two boys have gifts to wake up to on Christmas morning. The family received a $500 gift card to help  Further, we gave the family $1,000 to start a savings fund for a deposit on a new place to live. 

Bryan – Lisa

Lisa’s husband was deported after being in the United States for more than 17 years. Her husband was going through the proper channels to establish legal residency, however, he was unexpectedly deported to Mexico in October. Since his deportation, she has struggled to provide for her six children that still live with her. She has been looking for a second job to help supplement the income lost from her husband’s sudden departure. 

To help Lisa through her situation, The Carlson Law Firm paid two months of her rent which included water and sewage. Each child received items from their Christmas wish list—including a laptop for her daughter who attends a specialized tech high school. We also gave Lisa an InstaPot to help prepare speedy, healthy meals for her family and a Christmas tree with decorations. 

San Antonio – Amber

Amber has two kids under the age of two. Pregnant and with a young son, Amber left an abusive relationship. She lived in a homeless shelter until she recently got approved for government housing. She had nothing in her home except for two air mattresses, a card table and a few kitchen items. Further, Amber’s apartment did not provide heating or cooling. Seeing the needs of her daughter, Amber’s mother nominated her for this year’s Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle. 

To help make life easier for this young mother, The Carlson Law Firm furnished her entire apartment. We purchased beds, a couch, dining table, kitchenware and a crib for her infant son, as well as a glider. In addition, we purchased her older son toys for Christmas and gave bottles, a baby bath, diapers and wipes for the baby. In addition, we gave Amber a $100 HEB gift card to help with groceries. 

Laredo – Miguel and Martha

Miguel was diagnosed with throat cancer in May of this year. After getting his port put in for chemotherapy, he developed an infection that led to sepsis and other medical issues. Because of his infection, his chemotherapy treatments were delayed until October. Miguel completed his chemotherapy and radiation at the end of November. Miguel’s treating hospital is in San Antonio. As a result, the couple has spent the last several months commuting between their home in Laredo and staying in a hotel after his treatment in San Antonio. 

Because of his illness, Miguel lost his job. And Martha, as his only caretaker, lost hers as well. The family sold household items to help make ends meet. 

Martha nominated her husband for a Christmas Miracle. In her submission, Martha noted that despite “losing a lot of material things, he is winning the fight against cancer. It all came with a price and hoping he will get a bit of what he lost in this request.” 

The Carlson Law Firm readily stepped up to help the family replace some of the things lost. Miguel received several Dallas Cowboy items, including a limited edition jersey; gift cards for gas, and clothes. Martha was given a candle set and the couple’s college student was given a Chromebook.

Temple – Kathryn

Kathryn nominated her four children for a Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle. Kathryn’s husband left her and her children without much one week before Christmas. For the past two years, Kathryn and her children haven’t had much cheer through the holiday season. As a single mom of four, trying to stay afloat meant the kids had a much lighter Christmas than years past when their dad was around. Determined to ensure her kids had everything they needed, Kathryn took on two jobs to provide for her family. Earlier this year, she was able to move her family into a nice home. Kathryn planned to do something significant for her children this year. Unfortunately, Kathryn lost one of her jobs after a rollover car crash involving her two youngest children took her away from the job. 

Her youngest son was ejected from the vehicle and her young daughter suffered injuries from being in an improper car seat. Kathryn remains grateful to just have her children alive and well to celebrate Christmas this year. While her oldest son was gifted a bedroom set months before, her two youngest boys were sleeping on a used mattress on pallets and her daughter shared a bed with her mother. Kathryn’s request was simple: something out of this world. 

The Carlson Law Firm’s Caring elves began putting together a list of what to get the children. In the end, Kathryn’s children received a bunk bed with mattresses for her two middle boys that share a room, her three-year-old daughter got her own bed, and her oldest son received a guitar. Each child got several gifts and clothes for a special surprise on Christmas morning. Finally, Kathryn received a gift card for a massage and a gift card to HEB. 

Killeen – Marlice and Jose

With four kids—one of whom with significant medical needs, Killeen couple Marlice and Jose bring home just enough to take care of their family’s most basic needs. The family’s home lacked central heating and air. The family of six slept in the same room with space heaters to keep warm at night. As a stay at home parent, Marlice depends entirely on the couple’s one vehicle to take their daughter to appointments in Temple and Austin. For the last few months, their car has been in and out of the shop. However, while the small repairs offered the family temporary fixes, their vehicle still remained unreliable. 

To help this family, The Carlson Law Firm contacted Ellis Air to install two window units that provide both heat and air. Additionally, we paid for all car repairs (totaling over $2800) to ensure they are safe on the road in a reliable vehicle. Each child received two items on their wish list, warm clothes and we gave each family member a new, warm coat. Finally, we gifted the parents with an InstaPot, an HEB gift card, and provided a Christmas tree with decorations.

Carlson Cares

For many families, the holiday season doesn’t bring much cheer. This time of year can be costly and lead to significant stress for those on a tight budget. For the families we helped this year, The Carlson Law Firm helped by taking away the uncertainty of knowing what to prioritize. Our goal each year to make Christmas a little less stressful and a little more magical. With Carlson Cares, the spirit of the holiday season is not lost. 

To get the community ready for child passenger safety week, Carlson Cares brought in car seat technicians from the Texas KidSafe Program to the Killeen area to offer free car seat inspections and education to parents and caregivers on Sept. 12. Cars lined up at the firm’s Killeen office as parents, grandparents and expecting parents patiently waited to ensure their most precious cargo was safe. 

Car crashes are the leading killer of children. In fact, research shows that at least 59% of children’s car seats are used improperly. In 2017, child passengers under the age of 13 were involved in a car crash every 32 seconds.

“Some of the most heartbreaking cases we see are children coming in with severe injuries from car crashes,” said Carlson Law Firm Managing Partner Craig Carlson. “No one expects to get in the car and have a crash, but we can’t predict the actions of other drivers on the road. We want people to start asking themselves, ‘is the seat installed properly?’, ‘is my child in the right size car seat?’ these are things we don’t think about when we put our children in the car.” 

Car seat technicians verified the labels, expiration date, recall status and the child’s height and weight to the recommended standards for their seats. If the tech determined the car seat was unfit for any reason, Carlson Cares provided car seats to make sure children left in a safe and secure seat. 

Parents and caregivers were advised on the best practices for child car seat safety. In addition to best practice tips, event attendees received a swag bag full of car safety tools and a one-of-a-kind ‘Charlie the Remembear’ to keep in the front seat of their vehicles to serve as a reminder to check the back seat for their little ones. 

In total, technicians checked 46 seats and replaced 18.

If you are interested in a car seat check, contact the Texas KidSafe Program to schedule an appointment at 888-675-0260.