For nearly a decade, local singer/songwriter Whitney Hanna has hosted a Center Street Christmas on Folly Beach. Hanna says she started the charity event because she wanted to bring people together in a meaningful way. She was determined to help people find ways to give hope to others during the holidays. Also, Christmas is her favorite holiday.
Hanna admits that she could listen to Christmas music all day long and claims that “Silent Night” is her favorite Christmastime tune and her favorite Christmas concert was Michael Bublé. But it’s the spirit of giving that really makes Hanna happy and why she started a Center Street Christmas. For the better part of the last decade, Hanna has been hustling to make Christmas brighter for local families who are struggling.
“Gosh, I can’t even remember how many years it has been, but I’ll never forget how magical it is when every sponsored child’s bag is full,” says Hanna, who performs around Folly as a solo artist and along with her band Fancy KoolAid and other musical collaborations.
Every year, when Christmastime rolls around, Hanna sponsors between 20 and 30 local children through the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
Each sponsored child is gifted a special item from their Christmas list in addition to three to five outfits, including a new jacket, shoes, socks and underwear. Popular wishlist items include tablets, scooters, and bikes. According to Hannah, donations are warmly welcomed, as well as cash donations if you don’t have time to go shopping.
“I have it down to a science at this point,” says Hanna. “I know where I can get their items at the best prices. Every penny donated goes to the kids.”
Hanna is always filled with joy when, every year, a tractor-trailer truck arrives at her house, and two men load it up and drive away.
“It gives me something to feel grateful for,” Hanna says. “It’s about helping people who are struggling.”
One local family in particular, needed help after losing a member last year, just before Christmas. Hanna made sure that they had plenty of gifts.
In the past, she has been joined onstage at her Center Street Christmas concert by local musicians such as Corey Stephens, Will Evans, Stratton Moore, Chris Williams, John Heinsohn, Jeff Caldwell, Paul Quattlebaum, Aisha Kenyetta, Dale Baker, and Mason Pitts. She has also jammed with The Psycodelics members Sean Bing, Noah Jones, and Cameron Wescott at Center Street Christmas shows in the past.
“I love when we get into these funky Christmas jams and the guys in the band are all groovin’ and smiling at each other… it just feels good,” Hanna says. “Some of the most talented musicians in Charleston have played in Fancy KoolAid.”
“All tips and money donated at the event go to the kids,” says Hanna, who adds that while she has not yet pinned down a date or venue for the 2024 Center Street Christmas concert, she hopes to very soon. In the meantime, she will still be accepting items and money for the charity toy drive for local children in need.
Around this time of year, Hanna appreciates the local crowds that come out to see her perform. “The island is peaceful & less crowded so we all get to enjoy each other,” she says.
Hanna started singing before she walked or talked. Her father bought her a red Takamine acoustic guitar when she was 14 and she has been writing music ever since. You can listen to her music on Spotify, including the beautiful tunes “Yellow House” and “Lonely as the Moon,” which give you some insight not only of her talent but of her soul.
Please follow Whitney Hanna on social media for updates about the Center Street Christmas show. You can also contribute now through Venmo: @CenterStreetChristmas
