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The
2008 Gift Drive
-
Success!!
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To quote from the Sun
Chronicle...
Happy
ending
for
gift
drive
 Volunteers Liz Cochrane of Attleboro and
Sandy Newfield
of Norton match up gifts with recipients on the last day
of
the Christmas Is For Kids drive.(Staff photo by Tom Maguire)
BY Donna Kendall SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 2:19 AM EST
The 2008 Christmas Is For Kids gift drive for area needy children came to a successful close on Tuesday.
"All
of the kids will be well taken care of," said Kelly Fox, president of
Christmas Is For Kids, the 25th annual campaign run by the Attleboro
Area Council for Children. "It's great!" more
Photo
Gallery
of
the
2008
Gift
Drive
Thanks
to
your
generous
support,
we
were
able
to
provide
gifts
to
a
total
of
753
kids
this
year!
Thank
you
from
Christmas
is
for
Kids
and
the
Attleboro
Area
Council
for
Children,
Inc.
An
all-volunteer
organization
Site
last updated as of:
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For more information about this year's
Gift
Drive Schedule, click here.
We are an all volunteer run,
gift-giving program that assists children who would otherwise go without a
gift on Christmas Day. There is no paid staff and the Council pays for costs
such as printing, postage or phone expenses. All monetary donations are used
in their entirety for gifts for these children.
We have been able to assist over 1,000 children each year thanks to your generosity and
support! This is truly a community event!
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Who are we helping? |
We are assisting anyone in need. This may include those on some sort
of public assistance but also includes the "working poor" and
those families who may be experiencing medical or emotional hardships.
Today's uncertain economic climate has put financial strain on many
working people. So although many people are working, the high cost of
living - the rent, the utilities, the food,
our basic necessities- are what is taking away money from all of the
families. It doesn't take much, a lost job, a medical emergency, etc... to
put people in a position of having to choose between food for their family
and heat for their homes, leaving precious little, if anything, for gifts
for their children for Christmas.
Click
here to see some of the
families we have been able to help.
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How does it all work?
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The Council for Children accepts
applications from parents and
social workers from the MA Department of Social Services, Big Brother/Big Sister Program
of Greater Attleboro, Family Resource Center, Young
Parents Program, New Hope, the Attleboro Center, and the Seekonk and Rehoboth Council on Aging’s Social Service Departments.
Each family is carefully screened to assure that a need exists. Mansfield
residents receive assistance from the
Westside Benevolent Society and Norton
residents are being help this year through
the Norton Fire Dept.
Applications are made available on-line
and at select locations in the Attleboro area. Note:
The deadline to return applications
is Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. Applications
received after that date will be reviewed
and accepted on a case by case basis.
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How you can help. |
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The children's requests are listed in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle
in the Sunday edition after Thanksgiving. For 2008, this list will appear
in the newspaper on Sunday, Nov. 30th.
The list
of requested gift items appears on 3 full pages in the Sun Chronicle
which
generously provide space in their newspaper free of charge.
Members of the community participate
by "sponsoring" children and purchasing a child's request.
A donor makes a call to the donor request
phone line and selects
their child. More than one child may
be selected at this time. We assign
an ID number code for each child on
the list who is participating in the
program so we can easily keep track
of all the children and gifts we receive.
Please keep note of each child's ID
number code when your child has been
selected. The donor will shop for the child’s requested toy and clothing
items. Many donors decide to put in more toys than requested, some extra warm
clothing items, food gift certificates for the family’s Christmas Dinner,
and even filled stockings for the children.
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Where are the donated items brought? |
Donors will place their unwrapped
Children’s toy and clothing gift items in a large trash bag with the
child’s ID number on the bag and bring their gifts to
the Donor Drop Off Center at 64 Water Street
in Attleboro.
We ask that the
gifts not be wrapped
because our "Elves" check each package to make sure the items are
apprpriate for that child.
Donors may include wrapping paper in
with their gifts so the recipient's parents can have the fun of wrapping
their kid's gifts! All items that the donor brings are placed inside a
plastic bag and identified by the "kid code". We have a one-day distribution to our families and
agencies. It is truly a sight to see. You surely believe that there is a
Santa Claus.
Toy
Recall Alert!
Given the high level of concern about the safety of toys this year,
we have included links to some toy recall resouce web sites, including the US Consumer Product Safety Commssion.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html
http://www.recalledtoyalert.com/
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Our Supporters and
Sponsors
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We work with many major
civic organizations and companies in the area who either sponsor children or
conduct on-site toy & clothing collections
to make sure that every child is taken care of.
We do not ask them to provide this support to these children, they do
this from the kindness of their hearts.
They include:
The Sun Chronicle runs several
articles about our program during the holiday season. With their kind permission,
we may post these articles on our website.
Click here
to view a recent article!
Other related articles may also
be published in the North Attleboro Free Press, Providence Journal and Evening
Times. We are grateful for all this media support!
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Make
a Donation to help
our Drive!
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For those who prefer to making monetary donations instead of buying gifts,
a Christmas is for Kids
account has been set up with a local
bank, Rockland
Trust Co. Please
contact the bank for
details.
All of your donations are greatly appreciated and they help
us help the children!
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Our
elves are all volunteers and work during the day, thus, Elves only come out in
the evenings and on Saturdays.
Always remember: "Heaven helps those
who help them elves!"
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