BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
CATLETTSBURG — A former Martin County resident is bringing close to 250 new toys Saturday to Christmas in the Park in Warfield.
Lisa Cavaliere grew up in Martin County. She moved away after her father, John Henry Chapman, died from cancer in 1999.
Following the death of her husband, Frank Cavaliere, from COVID-19, she moved back to Kentucky from New York earlier this year. She and her two children are living in Catlettsburg.
“I’ve been wanting to give back to my childhood community and do so in honor of my dad and husband,” Cavaliere said. “I prayed about it and decided to buy a lot of toys to give out as Christmas gifts to needy children in Martin County.”
Cavaliere purchased the toys from Walmart and Target.
“I honestly don’t know how many toys I got, but it’s well over 200, probably close to 250,” she said. “These are good toys. I hope the kiddos in Warfield will like what I bought.”
With a mountain of toys filling up her family room, Cavaliere reached out to folks in Martin County and finally connected with Denise Chaffins at Warfield Park.
Chaffins has been planning the annual Christmas in the Park for months and was ecstatic to hear from Cavaliere.
“God has answered another prayer for us,” Chaffins said. “I can’t wait to see the looks on the kids’ faces.”
Cavaliere explained that her late husband had dreamed of starting his own ministry upon retirement.
“He planned on helping kids,” said Cavaliere. “The whole reason I am doing this is that I want to do my best to do the work my husband had planned on doing.”
She plans to deliver the toys to the park Wednesday in a U-Haul and attend Saturday’s event to witness the giveaway.
“I also want to hand out these cards to people,” Cavaliere said, presenting a card bearing the inscription “Remember how the true God works. James 1:16-18, John 1:13” in memory of her father and husband. “This was the last thing my husband texted me before they placed him on the ventilator.”
Cavaliere’s children, ages 15 and 12, will accompany her Saturday.
“I want to show them where I grew up,” she said. “I actually lived at Dempsey for a few months when I was a kid after my dad’s coal mines shut down. I played basketball at Warfield Park literally every single day after my dad passed. I want my kids to see those places.”
Moving to Kentucky after living all their lives in New York has been “a big adjustment” for the two children.
“But they like it here,” said Cavaliere. “I finally got my son hooked on some country music.”
Saturday’s event starts with a parade at noon. The lineup is at 11 a.m. at Martin County Middle School. The parade will travel through Warfield, turn onto Route 292, proceed through Dempsey Housing and end at Warfield Park, where Santa will hand out gifts to children.
Christmas in the Park organizers have announced a full day of activities. (See the related story on Page 8A.)