On Saturday, May 6, Kate Warton, a junior at La Jolla High School, who is the CEO and founder of My Holiday Fairy, was honored with the Padres’ Tony Gwynn Community All-Star Program Award along with a $5,000 check during a pre-game ceremony at Petco Park last weekend.

The funds will be used by Warton’s nonprofit organization, My Holiday Fairy, to benefit children and families at the San Diego Rescue Mission. The My Holiday Fairy organization specifically targets “holidays,” hence its name. It strives to bring joy and love on holidays to children by giving gifts and happy experiences.

Warton was born and raised in a suburb near Dallas. Moving to San Diego in the fourth grade was a huge change in her life. After she moved, she saw kids and women who were living in poverty, which was a major moment in her life. She decided to try and help people. Last November, Warton and her friends, gathered to establish My Holiday Fairy.

The nonprofit’s team is based on love and belief in friendship. Warton has a detailed understanding of her friends’ personalities and strengths. Therefore, she tries to allocate a part of the work considering their strengths. They sometimes debate on how to move forward, but always end up figuring out the best way and heading toward the common goal to help people.

“I feel very honored to receive the award. It is a huge accomplishment, and it really highlights what we’ve been doing,” said Warton. “I can’t wait to see what my team and I do with the money in the grant.”

Warton says her aspiration is that they open a shelter and offer other services such as tutoring.

On June 1, My Holiday Fairy is planning for a summer kick-off party. They are going to prepare some “Twinkle Totes,” which are gift bags of the organization, which include sunscreen, water bottles, hats, and other summer-oriented items. They are also planning for events that would include bounce houses, a dunk tank, and cornhole games for children.