Dear Santa’s Helper,
Fall is in the air and Christmas will be here before you know it! Marion County Children Services has a Holiday Assistance Program for children who are not able to be home with their families for the holidays and we could use your help, especially int he midst of the pandemic.
Children are removed from their home for various reasons, most of which are no fault of the child. Being away from family is hard at any time of the year, but especially during the holidays. Whether the child is placed in foster care, kinship care, a group home, or treatment facility, the gifts they receive through this program always brighten their holidays. For some, these may be the only gifts they receive.
Over the last five years, we have seen an increase in out-of-home care. As of this posting, our agency currently, as of this posting, has 76 children in agency custody and 85 children in kinship care. The children, their providers, and our agency are extremely grateful for your generosity and participation in our program. We are asking for your continued support and participation in this important program and, if you have others willing to join you, we could use additional Santa’s helpers this year!
To get started, please download and fill out this form and return it by October 10, 2020. Each child participating will be writing a “wish list” asking for items with a total value of $50. Our kids, like all others, will ask for items beyond this dollar amount and will probably list several items. These “wish lists” will then be forwarded to you, the sponsor. You can then review the list, purchase the item(s) you feel are appropriate, wrap and tag the gifts, and deliver them to Children Services. We do not expect the total wish list to be filled.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. Any help you can provide is much appreciated! Please feel free to contact Elizabeth Moore, Foster Care and Community Engagement Coordinator, at 740-386-0465 if you have any questions regarding this program.
Thank you for making a child’s holiday a little brighter this year! Program participants report the joy their feel from being able to give back to the community and we know you will too!