Do you remember the excitement of the holidays, what it felt like to eagerly count down the days during the holiday season, and the thrill and anticipation of having gifts to open?
Many of the Central Texas children who are in the care of Child Protective Services during the holiday season have never had these experiences. Their lives are upside down.
You can do something to put a smile on their faces. Participate in the Holiday Wishes program, and you’ll help them create happy memories in an otherwise difficult time of their lives.
How does it work? Each child gives three holiday wishes to their caseworker. The caseworkers then submit the wish lists to us, and we match the children with donors like you in our community to fulfill those wishes. It’s that simple.
Together, we were able to provide gifts to over 5,200 children in 2017. Let’s go beyond that number this year and make the magic of the holidays a reality for children who need it most.
Here are the different ways you can get involved:
SPONSOR A CHILD
When you become a sponsor, you’ll receive a child’s name, age, clothing sizes, and wishes. You’ll purchase the gifts and coordinate a drop-off with us. Start a holiday tradition of giving with your family and sponsor a child today.
BECOME AN AMBASSADOR
Have a group of friends who would like to serve as sponsors in our Holiday Wishes program? Becoming a program ambassador could be the perfect fit for you. Ambassadors serve as a liaison between sponsors and program coordinators. Once a group of sponsors has been formed, you’ll request the total number of children for the group, relay their wishes and coordinate a drop-off with us. If you and your community, co-workers, family, or friends have been looking for a way to give back during the holidays, this is a great opportunity.
DONATE GENERAL GIFTS
Unable to sponsor a child? There are many other valuable ways to help, including toy donation. These toys will go into our general gift inventory and will fill the wishes of any child who didn’t get sponsored or came into the care of CPS during December. Each year, approximately 25% of the children we serve received these general gifts. Click here for gift ideas. You’ll coordinate your gift drop-off with us once you’ve made your purchase.
MAKE A MONETARY DONATION
Your valuable monetary donation will go toward the purchase of holiday gifts. To give you an idea of how far your money will go, a donation of $75 will fill all three wishes for one child.
