Heroes of the Holidays

It's not just Santa Claus bringing the holiday magic this season. As you'll see, he's got elves all over.

Actually, Do Meet Your Heroes
Two friends change kids' lives, one door knock at a time
BY Emily Goodman

Friends Yuri Williams and Rodney Smith Jr. spend the weeks leading up to Christmas crisscrossing the country. They visit all 50 states, making house calls to kids who are sick or disabled. The pair arrive with plenty of toys, and in costume, both of which delight the young recipients. In past years, Williams has dressed up as various superheroes and other beloved charactersincluding Spider-Man, Deadpool and the Mandalorian-while Smith dons the attire of a Christmas elf.

Though Williams has been spreading joy this way for years, the impetus to do it came from a joyless place. In 2009, he lost his mother to cancer.

"I fell into a five-year depression," he told Good Morning America. But he dug himself out by honoring his mother's memory through charitable acts, including collecting gifts for children with special needs. Williams launched his nonprofit, A Future SuperHero and Friends, in 2018. His goal: to bring smiles to children with health challenges, including those fighting lifethreatening conditions.

"He was the first person to put a smile on AJ's face," says Katrina Morris about her son, who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 2. "I will never forget that day." Williams and Smith start their gift-giving trek by driving through the 48 contiguous states before flying to Alaska and Hawaii.

Along the way, they stock up on toys, funded by the donations that come through the Future SuperHero website, which is also where people nominate families for the pair to visit. But they often dip into Williams's own savings as well. Even more important than the gifts they bring, Williams and Smith spend time with the people who need it the most-and that's not just the children.