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Gift drive gets under way today BY JANETTE SEARS SUN CHRONICLE
STAFF Sunday, November 25, 2007 12:54 AM
EST
ATTLEBORO - The Christmas Is For Kids gift
drive will open its donor lines today to officially begin matching donors with
hundreds of children in need of gifts.
The wish list of children whose
parents had previously applied and been accepted into the gift drive is printed
in today's paper on pages D2-D4. Information about how to select a child and
purchase gifts for that child is included in the box that accompanies this
article.
In addition to the children included in today's wish list, the
Greater Attleboro Area Council for Children, which is overseeing the gift drive
for the 24th year, is still accepting applications for the
program.
Council President Kelly Fox, who will be heading up the drive
for the second year, says the council is expecting to serve up to 800 children
by the time the drive is completed on Saturday, Dec. 15.
The council
accepts applications from parents and social workers from the Massachusetts
Department of Social Services, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program of Greater
Attleboro, the Family Resource Center, the Young Parents Program, the Attleboro
Center, New Hope and the Seekonk and Rehoboth Council on Aging's Social Service
departments.
"We have reached out to parents and social service agencies to be sure that
everyone who may need our help is aware of what we do, and how to access the
help," Fox said.
"What amazes me is the stories of these children and how
many of them are burdened by such adult problems - parents with illnesses,
addictions, death - and yet a lot of these children are doing well in school,
looking forward to college or being out on their own," she said.
While
Fox advises those in need that there is still time to submit an application, she
also stresses to both applicants and donors that sending in an application does
not automatically ensure acceptance into the program.
According to
program guidelines, each new application is carefully screened, taking into
account both income and expenses to assure that a need exists.
In addition, those who participated in last year's drive were required to
attend four out of 20 free workshops pertaining to budgeting, credit concerns
and parenting skills this year in order to be eligible.
The additional
guidelines were added to the program within the last couple of years, and
although they were met with some resistance the first year, Fox said parents in
the program are beginning to accept them more.
"We're thrilled at the
parents' response to the classes," she said. "Overall, this has become a bit of
a social event as well as a learning experience for the parents. We've had quite
a lot who've come to more than the required four classes, some as many as 10
classes because they see the value in what they're learning."
Through the
additional guidelines, Fox says the council also strives to offer reassurance to
its donors that the council is trying to be good stewards of their donations.
The response from donors already this year has been very impressive, Fox
said, noting that it has also been a bit different.
"Many of the donors
are asking to take care of entire families," she said.
"They want all the
children together, and want to know a little about the family so they can add
something in for the parents if possible. Although we are very limited as to
what we can say, we accommodate as best we can so that the donors can include
something extra if they want to."
Several local churches, the South
Attleboro Lions, the Fraternal Order of Police, as well as many local companies,
are among those donors who have already come forward to support the drive. In
addition, mitten trees have been set up at Rockland Trust in North Attleboro and
at Dream Dinners in Plainville.
Among the most needed items on children's
lists this year, according to Fox, are gift certificates for teenagers and warm
clothing items, such as socks, pajamas and winter coats for smaller
children.
Warm blankets are always good as well, as are
books.
"I'd love for every child to have books in their bag," Fox said.
"Last year we had almost no books to give."
Janette Sears can be reached
by phone or fax at 508-222-2442 or by e-mail at janette@janettesears.com.
     
Editorial Sunday, November 25, 2007 12:49 AM EST
A better Christmas Is For KidsThe
evolution of Christmas Is For Kids is very pleasing to see. The campaign,
which begins its 24th year today, was launched as a simple wish by a group of
local citizens led by radio talk show host Dave Kane to make sure that every
child in the Attleboro area had a gift to receive on Christmas
morning. From the beginning, the response has been overwhelming. The
people of the Attleboro area opened their hearts to the campaign, sometimes
swamping the organizers with several gifts for the hundreds of children who
appear on the list. (This year's list is on pages D3-D5 of today's Sun
Chronicle.) But Christmas Is For Kids, like all good charitable programs,
now also aims to stop the cycle of poverty and dependence by educating the
families it assists. In recent years, the Greater Attleboro Council for Children, which runs the
campaign, established new guidelines to help both recipients and
donors.
Now, each new application is carefully screened, looking at both
income and expenses to assure that a need exists.
In addition, those who
participated in last year's drive were required to attend four out of 20 free
workshops this year in order to be eligible. The classes, on such topics as
budgeting, credit and parenting skills, are aimed at making families more
self-sufficient.
After some initial resistance, the families are
beginning to embrace the classes, Kelly Fox, president of the council for
children, told The Sun Chronicle's Janette Sears.
"Overall, this has become a bit of a social event as well as a learning
experience for the parents," she said. "We've had quite a lot who've come to
more than the required four classes, some as many as 10 classes, because they
see the value in what they're learning."
Just as importantly, the
additional guidelines reassures donors that the council is trying to be good
stewards of their donations.
As heartwarming as the initial campaigns
were, it would be especially satisfying to know that the additional guidelines
may also contribute to ending the cycle of poverty for some Attleboro area
families.
That's why the evolution of the campaign, now approaching its
silver anniversary, has made Christmas Is For Kids even better than when it
first began.
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