GREAT FALLS — Retired professional basketball player and Great Falls native Josh Huestis is once again giving back to the community that helped shape him by creating a special shopping experience for local foster children.
(WATCH: Retired basketball player Josh Huestis helps foster children in Great Falls)
Inside Scheels on Saturday morning, shopping carts quickly filled with toys, clothes, sports equipment and smiles as 20 children in the foster care system participated in Huestis’ annual shopping spree.
The event is funded through a raffle held during Huestis’ basketball camp and donations from the Josh Huestis Foundation, turning the success of the camp into an opportunity to give back to children in the community.
“Great Falls has always stayed close to my heart, and I go out of my way as often as I can to be here to give back,” Huestis said. “This is the community that made me who I am, and giving them a morning where they can get things for themselves and make them feel special for the day.”
The shopping spree is made possible through a partnership with L.O.V.E. — Linking Our Voices Everyday — a Great Falls nonprofit founded by former foster youth that supports foster and kinship families through mentorship programs, community resources and advocacy.
L.O.V.E. Executive Director Kat Whitish said the event has become one of the organization’s favorite traditions.
“They have so much fun just getting to have brand-new stuff, name-brand stuff that they don’t get because they lose everything when they go into foster care,” Whitish said. “This is, I think, all of our favorite event every year.”
For many of the children, the morning was about much more than shopping.
“I was really happy. It’s like my dream come true for me now,” said Gabrielle, a foster participant.
Organizers say the shopping spree gives children a chance to choose something for themselves and feel celebrated by their community.
“It’s always one of my favorite things to do just because of the energy that’s in the building,” Huestis said. “Everybody’s just so happy. The kids are so appreciative and so grateful. It’s just so special and so cool that we can give them this memory.”
As the children left with bags full of new treasures, organizers said the real gift wasn’t found on the store shelves. Instead, it was the reminder that there are people in their corner, cheering them on and investing in their future.
For Huestis, the annual shopping spree is another way to turn his success into something even bigger — giving children in his hometown a reason to smile.
For more information on the Josh Huestis Foundation, click here.
