to all of Santa's little elves...

I am just overwhelmed by the generosity from the Houston community!!!!!  Our offices are overflowing with all the gifts we have recieved- our only problem now is finding a place to put everything!  We have gotten Christmas donations for each and every one of our foster children this year.  There is a group of ladies from a certain sorority that “adopted” our kids and bought them all some kind of toy or game for Christmas.  Then there’s the Catholic Women’s Charity Guild.  Every year, this amazing group of ladies commits to getting one large item for each kiddo- they even take requests!   Our clients are also eligible to be sponsored by the Share your Blessings event- where they are gifted with new clothing and shoes.  In addition to that, we have a generous donor who provides stuffed animals for all the children at our annual Christmas party.   

Speaking of, every year we hold a party for all of our foster children and families (we’re talking 75-100 guests all together.)  We simply could not do this without the help of our volunteers, who come out and make the day go so smoothly.  We have a host of folks who generously donate their time and efforts to our organization.  Every year we have a great puppet show, cookies, punch, and other yummy snacks, a photographer to capture the event, and a visit from Mr. Claus himself.  Some of these children have been in care for 2+ years and they especially look forward to this event. 

Last month, I asked 2 of my boys what they would like for Christmas- they desperately want a bike.  Unfortunately, the stipend paid for foster care is just not enough for their foster mom to get those bigger items on Christmas.  Even so, they were hopeful that Santa might come through.  As they went on about how all their friends have bikes, I began to understand that they get left out since they can’t ride along with the other boys.  I've been wondering how things will go for them on Christmas morning, and considered taking care of things myself (which, for a lot of reasons, I can't do) BUT Santa doesn't dissapoint!  We got a call today and found out the United Way will be providing bikes for our children- we just had to let them know how many are needed.  The foster parents can even pick them up ahead of time and be all ready for Christmas!!!!!

So, I just want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for making this Christmas so special for our clients!