christmas blessings

you can be a christmas blessing...

over the years it seems our family is challenged with helping people who are having hard times during the holidays. every year it seems as if there are more and more in need, especially in the current economic climate. well this year, i want to plan ahead a little because it seems like we find out about the needs right at the last minute, after most people have already donated or given, and it's hard to get it all lined up at the last second (though it does always fall into place). please consider clicking the above link and donating to help families in need this holiday season.

as a teacher, sometimes the way i find out about things is through students sharing at school when others are discussing the upcoming holidays. last year i was heartbroken when i found out about a little girl who had NEVER experienced christmas because her mother felt she could not afford gifts, holiday decorations, etc. and had no family to celebrate with anyway, so they just avoided the stores during the holidays and stayed home and did nothing. well, once her daughter came to school and started hearing about classmates discuss things, along with all of the holiday activities that happen this time of year, she started asking questions of her mom. the little girl came to school and told me that they don't celebrate christmas, but she couldn't tell me why. so i wrote the mother a note just to make sure that school activities involving the holidays were not going to be a problem with her beliefs or whatnot. that's when i found out their story. i cannot go into detail about it, but it was heart wrenching and she was open to allowing others to help her make christmas happen for her little girl. i had several friends and anonymous donors help make this an amazing experience for this little girl and the smile on her face when i showed up with everything was priceless.

this is just one example of how your donation can help someone. please help us be a blessing this christmas!