Thank you so much for your interest in the Holiday Gift Giving Project. Some of the children we serve are victims of family violence, child abuse or child neglect, they come from the poorest families in the metro area. These visits are not only a time when the family can enjoy being together, but it is also a time when staff teach parenting skills to the parents.
We are partnering this year with Denver Kids, as well as Denver Human Services.They know the children well and are able to give a suggestion for a gift that they know that the child will like. Donors are provided with the first name of the child as well as their age, gender and a suggested gift idea. Gifts are then dropped off at the department and the staff oversee giving the gifts to the children.
Once again, thank you so much for all that your program has done to provide for the needs of the children .
History
The Santa’s Corner Program/Holiday Gift Giving Project, started in 2000. It provides clients in this program (who are served through Denver Human Services) who have battled with abuse and neglect issues with their children, a platform to come and share the holidays with gifts provided by donations form the community.
When it began, the holidays saw the lowest number of families uniting, with a 4% visitation rate. Today, the visitation rate is 98%!. These are clients that have worked very hard to maintain or get custody of their children. Our staff work closely with these families to work toward the safety and the security of these children and their families. The children who are nominated for the Santa’s Corner in home program are low-income and, for some of them, these may be the only gifts their children receive this year. Each child is encouraged to ask for 2 gifts, valued at $25 or less. Know that your generous donations will be given to the children by their staff person during a visit in the home. If you would like to include a gift card for a grocery store as an additional family gift, please know that it will be given to the family to help with their holiday dinner. If you decide to do so, please put the gift card in an envelope and tape it to the front of the child’s gift and we’ll see that it is appropriately used.
To find out how to become involved, please contact us mid September annually for instructions on becoming a holiday angel. Over 900 children will be served this year.