Actress La La Anthony spread holiday cheer on Dec. 11, during her 7th annual Winter Wonderland event in the Bronx. The Brooklyn native welcomed over 400 children between the ages 8 and 16 to Gaucho Gym in Mott Haven. There, they came together as a community to celebrate the holidays.
The Winter Wonderland event was filled with surprise music performances, photo booths, gift giveaways and a holiday dinner. For Anthony, the moment is always special because she has the opportunity to give back to the community.
“It’s important to give back and always remember where we all started,” she told 21Ninety. “I don’t remember growing up and hearing about events like this or knowing about things like this, where we could come and be community together and help each other [and] look out for each other. So, to be a person that’s able to put something like this together means a lot.”
Anthony’s event transformed Mott Haven’s staple gym into a winter wonderland for all of the children. While it’s already a fixture in the community, Gaucho Gym is also extremely special to Anthony. It’s the gym that her son started learning the fundamentals of basketball.
“Gaucho [Gym] is so important for us because that’s the gym that my son started playing basketball in, as he was learning the fundamentals,” she told 21Ninety. “To be able to take over the gym and do all this fun stuff for the kids around the holidays is like a great feeling.”
This is a cherished annual event for Anthony. However, it doesn’t escape her that it happens during the height of cold and flu season. In an added effort to prioritize wellness, Anthony partnered with top-rated cough suppressant brand Delsym. As part of the brand’s sponsorship, they not only brought relief, but also fun. They added a hot chocolate cart for the families to create their own customized versions of the holiday staple.
Hot chocolate is a symbol of comfort during the winter season. For Anthony, who’s a self-proclaimed “hot chocolate maniac,” Delsym bringing the cart to the Winter Wonderland event is very special. The warm, chocolatey beverage is one of her personal sources of comfort during the season.
“I love comfort food, [like] soups and different things that make you feel good when it is cold and flu season,” she said. “When I talk about comfort food, I love drinking hot chocolate, … [and] just things that make you feel good and make you feel like it’s the holiday season.”
Above all, putting on this event for Anthony is full circle. It allows her to give back to her own community, which is something that she doesn’t take lightly. For Anthony, the greatest measure of success is how much she’s given back to her community. With all of the chaos in the world, she hopes that this event inspires others to give back.
“I also want to encourage everyone to give back in any way that they can,” Anthony told 21Ninety. “The holidays are a great time, but I think sometimes we forget that doesn’t mean it’s a great time for everyone. Families are struggling, people are struggling, and the holidays could just be a reminder of what families don’t have or what families need. So, just be mindful of that as we enter into this season and really just try to help as best as we all can.”