Hey folks, the donations are all in and I have received all the kids' information for this years final push!!! I started this earlier this year, and the phenomenal outpouring of donations had pushed us over $1600 for the year! Here's the family info of those that we are helping this year....
Family #1 ( 2 Boys, grade 1 and grade 8 )
I talked to the mom and she is raising the two boys on her own. One boy goes to the elementary where I regularly substitute. The 8th grade boy is being home-schooled due to his heart condition. He can't participate in much due to his condition. I was humbled by the meager requests from this family and I'm looking forward to getting these kids many things that they might not otherwise have ever got. A used Nintendo Gamecube is the wish item for these kids... I found one for $35 and got a couple of games for them so far.
Family #2 (3 Girls and 1 boy, ages 5, 9, 10, and 11)
They have just fallen on bad times and have limited income coming in. She was very grateful on the phone and very modest about asking for anything. I am amazed at how the kids tend to know the situation and did not ask for much... It is a sign of the times that the kids are now asking for clothes rather than toys... Zhu Zhu pets are the wish item for these kids...
Family #3 (3 Boys, ages grade 5, grade 2, and 14 months)
This family is really in turmoil... They are currently without home and are staying with relatives. The mom is getting out of a really bad situation with the father and is really struggling to stay afloat. They focused on clothing as their main items. The kids are not picky about the gifts in any way. This is not only helping her and the kids, it will be a big relief on her family too. I could tell when I talked to her sister that the situation has them all very stressed...
Family #4 (2 Girls, 1 boy, ages 9, 7, and 10 months)
Ok, this one is truly breaking my heart... First of all, I know the kids in this family and they are fantastic. Let's begin... As you see, the youngest is the little girl that was born 10 months ago... soon after giving birth, the mom began to have severe headaches. They began testing on here and found a brain tumor. They performed surgury on her and removed part of the tumor, but could not get it all or she would have lost all motor skills. She is currently going through radiation 5 days a week. She is in her 30's and this has taken a toll on her physically. She now walks with a walker and stuggles to get through her days. She cannot work at this point, but she held a nice job prior to all this happening. If I find that we have some extra money when all the gifts are bought, I'd like to her and her husband some gas cards and grocery cards. My wife's family donated a bunch of beef from a steer to help them out too.
OK, so this is our list for this year.... I want to express how proud I am of everyone who participated in this program! I've got a BUNCH of work to do this week... I'm working each day and still have to do all the shopping and wrapping after work... I'll be posting pics of the gifts and maybe even a video like I did last year... I apologize for not being able to photograph the recipients, but when you deal with school kids, different rules apply with photographs. And I know the people we are helping are people that are not accustomed to receiving a helping hand...it's uncomfortable enough for them. I may ask them to write a small letter of thanks to all the people who donated from around the world this year! I hope to make you all proud this year!!!! Wish me luck!!!!
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Originally Posted by Lowjiber
