It’s July, but that doesn’t mean the Christmas magic is over. Your contributions to Fostering Christmas continue to make an impact on foster kids, Idaho’s hardworking social workers, and Fostering Christmas volunteers alike! We’re thrilled all year long when we’re able to meet the needs of every single kid’s wishlist we receive, and you made it possible last year — the year that we had the largest number of foster kids yet.
We’ve shared a couple of stories from foster kids on how your contributions impacted them. However, they aren't the only ones who have benefitted from your gifts. Your generosity has also impacted the lives of our volunteers — even bringing families together!
Lex Flamm
"Volunteering for Fostering Christmas has definitely brought my family together! For the last three years, my parents, husband, and I have bought presents for foster kids and made it a family activity, either shopping together or coordinating drop-offs.
My parents like picking kids whose interests and requests remind them of me when I was little — and it's a great opportunity for us to get nostalgic together! For example, last year they chose a little girl who loved Harry Potter and had a blast shopping for things they knew I would have loved at that age (once upon a time, I had my very own potion-making kit).
Next year, my dad is hoping to bring his company on board as a sponsor so they can make an even bigger impact and help more kids."
Kylyn Buck
“Fostering Christmas has a special place in my heart each year. I am proud to be able to help these children in their time of need. It's tragic to me that kids have to go through this at all, but especially during what is traditionally supposed to be a time of joy and celebration.
If we can bring any ounce of happiness to any kid, every second is worth it, no matter how hard it gets.”
Kyle Palhegyi
“Fostering Christmas gives us the opportunity to really become Santa and help spread cheer and happiness to all of the kids who need some extra loving and joy. Every child should have the opportunity to be able to wake up and know there's something special waiting for them and to know they are loved and cared for.
No matter how busy it can get, I've seen everyone's passion and dedication to helping each and every child with a big smile on their face. It really speaks to you on how much we care and enjoy bringing happiness.”
Lastly, we asked our head organizer and biggest cheerleader,Karli McNamee, on stories that she’s experienced over the years. She has dozens of stories, but she wanted to share one of the first, major Christmas miracles she’d witnessed.
Karli McNamee
“Last Christmas, for the first time in our history, social workers were able to enter our office to directly help with the sorting process. We wanted to make sure that every single kid and their entire wishlist was covered.
I recall sitting on the floor with them, opening boxes, checking spreadsheets, and hearing their exclamations about a particular present being for one of the kids that they specifically watch over, saying things like, “Oh, wow!” “This is amazing!” “Oh my gosh, he’s going to love this!” and even “We put this on her list, but I didn’t think anyone would actually get it! She’s going to cry.”
As they spoke about the gifts, they also shared some of the difficulties the kids were facing right then, and how hard it was to support them with resources that were spread so thin throughout the year.
At that exact moment, the office doorbell rang. I jumped up to grab it. Outside, a sweet lady smiled at me, verified we were Fostering Christmas, handed me an envelope, and said quietly, “Merry Christmas.” I walked it back to the sorting room, opened it up, and just stared.
“What is it?” the team asked. I flipped it around to show a check for $5,000.
The social workers in the room stared blankly for a second, and one of them began to cry. “It turns out,” I told them, “we’ve got some additional resources for you after all.”
With a lot of laughter, joy, and a little bit of tears, we’ve had an absolute blast volunteering. If you’d like to learn more about our volunteer opportunities, stay tuned to our digital newsletter, or email us at info@fosteringchristmas.org!
We’d also like to extend a special shoutout to our highest number of business and nonprofit sponsors, including: Shave for the Kids, Tropical Smoothie, and Christina Bodily. Thank you so much for being a part of the Fostering Christmas family. We can’t wait to serve more of Idaho’s foster kids this year!
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