OPPORTUNITY!

Update 12/2/09 at 10:34am: A friend of mine in California is sponsoring one of the kids (thanks, Heather!). So now we're down to TEN! If anyone out of state wants to sponsor a child, I'd be happy to do the shopping and deliver on time if you send payment. Thanks!

For those of you in Middle Tennessee, please consider this opportunity to help children in less-than-ideal situations this Christmas. While our daughter Dorothy is fortunate enough to spend her first Christmas with her new family, plenty of children here in the States are in the limbo of Foster Care and often get overlooked during family-centered holidays like Christmas.

Eleven Ten children remain on a list of foster children who need Christmas sponsored for them. We are sponsoring a teenage boy, would you consider taking a child as well?

Here is the original e-mail from the organizer: (Contact me for her e-mail address if you are interested.)

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I'm sending you this e-mail because you have helped in the past or have expressed and interest in helping out this Christmas to give gifts to Foster Children.

As you may or may not know, I am the Foster Care Coordinator for Centerstone. The Foster Care program is just one of many programs within my agency that serves children but it is a very special and unique facet of Centerstone.

The children in the foster care program range in age from infants to 18 but the majority of them are teens age 12-16. They have been removed from their homes and are living with foster families until it's possible for them to be reunified back with someone in their biological family or, if that is not possible, they are awaiting adoption. Christmas is a difficult time for them as you can imagine. Each year, we try to bring some cheer into their lives by giving them gifts that are on their wish list that they might not otherwise get except for the generosity of strangers.

I know first hand how rushed and over-committed we all can get once Thanksgiving gets here and I wanted to ask you to be considering helping a child in Foster Care this Holiday Season. I am also aware that this year in particular, we are all wondering where we will find money in our budgets for Christmas gifts for our families, let alone for strangers. If you feel so led, please consider holding aside some of your resources for a Child or Teenager in Foster Care.

This year I have 50 children on my list that I need to get donations for. We ask that you spend about $50 per child that you adopt. I will be compiling a "wish list" for each child and will give that to you as a guide but you can of course purchase whatever you would like for them.

Also - if you are a member of a church or other community organization that may be interested in participating - Will you please present this opportunity to them?

I will need to collect the gifts by Monday December 7th in order to have them in time for distribution.

Thank you so much for helping these kids. It means the world to them.

Please feel free to e-mail me or contact me by phone with any questions you may have.

With Sincerest Thanks,

Julie Clark