Christmas is only days away, and we’ve made so much progress toward giving every local foster child something to open on Christmas. We couldn’t have gotten this far without our extraordinary community members, and your contributions make a bigger difference than you’ll ever know.
We’ve shared Fostering Christmas’s origin story before, but it’s a tale that bears repeating. Our organization began when entrepreneur Shaun Buck, our founder and president, heard that 18 foster kids in Canyon County would go without Christmas gifts. They had entered the system too late to receive help from traditional charities, and social workers were struggling to find other sponsors. These kids would wake up on Christmas morning to find nothing underneath the tree.
Shaun couldn’t stand that thought, so he agreed to help. His family fulfilled all 18 Christmas wish lists that first year, making a big difference in those kids’ lives.
What started as one gesture quickly snowballed. When employees at his business, Newsletter Pro, learned of Shaun’s actions, they immediately expressed their eagerness to help the following year. In the third year, the company’s clients caught wind of the efforts and wanted to pitch in, too. Shaun realized that the need was only growing, and so was the number of people willing to help. Fostering Christmas was born, and it’s now a holiday staple of many local community members who look forward to it every year.
Every year, we hear stories from social workers about the tremendous impact the program has had on these kids. One of those former foster children even sat down with us for an interview. She told us that having something new and intended just for her helped her get through rough times and keep her eyes on the future. Today, she’s a college student.
We’re not just giving kids Christmas presents — our sponsors are sending the message that they matter.
Each gift says, “Your community loves you, and you are not alone.” That’s what every child deserves to hear on Christmas morning and every day of the year.
Everyone at Fostering Christmas has been so heartened by the response we’ve received in 2022, with almost 100 wish lists claimed before we reached Thanksgiving. We can’t thank our sponsors enough for their efforts to ensure every local foster child has something to open on Christmas morning. You’re helping us create Christmas miracles!
While it’s almost Christmas, there’s still time to help. We still have unclaimed wish lists and welcome donations to shop for the remaining children. But we need your help quickly! To ensure they make it to the intended children on Christmas morning, we must have all presents delivered to our office by 12/23. We’re also accepting donations through the end of 12/22, so we can go to the store and purchase the final presents.
We’re almost at the finish line! Thank you again for all your hard work and generosity this year. Because of you, we are on track to make more Christmas dreams come true than ever before.
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