11 Youngsters Enjoy Free Shopping Spree

Regina King, 8, was able to get her mother a new nightgown for Christmas last week. “Hers is all ripped up,” said the Tenth Street School student.

And Brian Lopez, also 8, got his mother a telephone-answering machine she has been wanting.

Regina and Brian were two of 11 needy L.A. youngsters who went on shopping sprees at the Broadway department store in Downtown on Tuesday, courtesy of American Express. The travel service company gave each of the children a $150 certificate and set up the shopping day to promote a national fund-raiser to benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

For every American Express Gift Cheque purchased through Dec. 31, the company will donate $1 to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, up to a total of $100,000.

The gift certificates, available in $25, $50 and $100 denominations, are accepted at most stores and can be purchased at banks and financial institutions as well as at American Express Travel Service offices.

Broadway employees and three celebrities involved with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program--Sarah Purcell of ABC’s “Home,” Mel Johnson Jr. of “Total Recall” and Mark Drexler of NBC’s “Days of Our Lives”--were on hand Tuesday to help the children choose their gifts. Some of the children’s Big Brothers and Sisters also came along to assist.

Within the first hour, Regina, who lives in Westlake, had chosen a battery-powered train set for her 7-year-old brother, a flannel shirt for her father and a soap set for her teacher.

Brian, a second-grader at St. Agnes School in West Adams, found the answering machine for his mother; a wallet for his father, who lives in Miami, and a Lakers cap for his cousin. He then looked for a birthday present for himself; Brian turned 8 on the shopping day.

An organized Gavin Hooper, 12, had already finished his Christmas shopping before the event. So, with the help of his Big Brother, actor Johnson, the Northridge youth looked for clothing for himself. Johnson, who has been Gavin’s Big Brother for three years, said he treasures their time together. “The times spent doing the little things are the best--like washing the car together, walking along the beach, going to football games,” said the actor. “It’s been a great experience.”