Tom and I have been trying to keep ourselves in the right frame of mind this holiday season, and we had so much fun last night I wanted to tell you all about it!
I had been involved with the Forgotten Children's Fund my junior year at UPS, and I had kind of lost touch with the organization, unsure if it was still up and running. After a quick google search I realized it was alive and well.
The foundation started after a restaurant owner in Seattle got a letter from a little boy (addressed to Santa) delivered to his home on accident. This was the letter (complete with original spelling errors :
"Dear Santa,
Mama said you got lost last year and could not find your way to your house. we wrilly mist you, aspeshley my little sister. Please come this year Santa, we are being really good. Mama sais you'll get lost again maybe so hear is a map.
Love Craig
PS. Dont leave anything for daddy, because he is not hear any more"
After reading Craig's words, the restaurant owner was moved, and the Forgotten Children's Fund was born. It is a 100% volunteer run organization that does not make a single penny of profit. There are no full time staff. Last year they brought gifts to over 800 families in need. What I really love about the organization is that they try to identify families that are not already receiving help from other organizations, trying to pinpoint those families who are working so hard just to survive but they make just enough money that they don't meet the criteria for a lot of organizations even though they desperately need help.
Volunteers show up to "Santa's work shop" and wrap donated gifts for all members of the family. Each child receives a bike, helmet, coat, hat, gloves and scarf. Then they also receive a stocking, and three gifts. So, as a volunteer you have the fun of picking out (out of piles of donated gifts) which gift the family member you are wrapping for will get to receive.
Then, after all the gifts are wrapped they are delivered on Christmas Day by "Santa" to each family on the list. So volutneers can gather donations, wrap gifts or dress up like santa and deliver gifts. Pretty cool huh?
This year, Santa's work shop was located in Renton. So, Saturday afternoon Tom and I met up after work and headed up to the "north pole" to wrap some presents!
We got a family of three: Penny (mom), Avery (10 y/o boy) and Ayana (14 y/o girl). We could see our breath in the warehouse as it was a particularly cold day in Tacoma (26 degrees, no insulation, no heat) but we had a wonderful time! Santa's workshop is open from 7 days a week from now until Christmas day, so if any of you Washingtonian's wants to get out there and help out-- you have time! It's open from 10am-6pm (you can check their website for specifics).
The foundation started after a restaurant owner in Seattle got a letter from a little boy (addressed to Santa) delivered to his home on accident. This was the letter (complete with original spelling errors :
"Dear Santa,
Mama said you got lost last year and could not find your way to your house. we wrilly mist you, aspeshley my little sister. Please come this year Santa, we are being really good. Mama sais you'll get lost again maybe so hear is a map.
Love Craig
PS. Dont leave anything for daddy, because he is not hear any more"
After reading Craig's words, the restaurant owner was moved, and the Forgotten Children's Fund was born. It is a 100% volunteer run organization that does not make a single penny of profit. There are no full time staff. Last year they brought gifts to over 800 families in need. What I really love about the organization is that they try to identify families that are not already receiving help from other organizations, trying to pinpoint those families who are working so hard just to survive but they make just enough money that they don't meet the criteria for a lot of organizations even though they desperately need help.
Volunteers show up to "Santa's work shop" and wrap donated gifts for all members of the family. Each child receives a bike, helmet, coat, hat, gloves and scarf. Then they also receive a stocking, and three gifts. So, as a volunteer you have the fun of picking out (out of piles of donated gifts) which gift the family member you are wrapping for will get to receive.
Then, after all the gifts are wrapped they are delivered on Christmas Day by "Santa" to each family on the list. So volutneers can gather donations, wrap gifts or dress up like santa and deliver gifts. Pretty cool huh?
This year, Santa's work shop was located in Renton. So, Saturday afternoon Tom and I met up after work and headed up to the "north pole" to wrap some presents!
We got a family of three: Penny (mom), Avery (10 y/o boy) and Ayana (14 y/o girl). We could see our breath in the warehouse as it was a particularly cold day in Tacoma (26 degrees, no insulation, no heat) but we had a wonderful time! Santa's workshop is open from 7 days a week from now until Christmas day, so if any of you Washingtonian's wants to get out there and help out-- you have time! It's open from 10am-6pm (you can check their website for specifics).
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