Adopt-A-Family Holiday Extravaganza

 This year Raphael House was able to provide over 240 families with Christmas presents and/or holiday meals during the Holiday season.  By being active participants in the Raphael House After Care program, these families were  matched with community  donors who generously provided the necessary gifts and food to make their holiday that much brighter.  The event began in October, when wishlists were sent to families.  Through October and November information was collected and distributed to donors.  Once December arrived, the house was abuzz with excitement over the piles of presents and food that came pouring in the doors.  The ChildReach staff could barely keep up! 

But we all worked hard and focused on making the holidays bright and wonderous for all the families we serve.  Volunteers generously donated their time to sort gifts, making sure that everything went as smoothly as possible.

The fun of meeting the donors, and seeing the expressions on the faces of the children as they came to pick up their gifts made all the work worth it ten times over!  Some kids wanted to know why we were giving them their gifts and not Santa, and we explained that we work with Santa, and that he was so busy this year he had to enlist our help.  One child even wanted to know if I was married to Santa.  Although it was a flattering statement, I could never fill the shoes of Mrs. Claus...  

But in all seriousness, this year's program was a huge success and the contributions made by our amazingly generous donors really did make this holiday one that will live on in the memories of the families and the staff of Raphael House.  So, a HUGE thanks to all the families and donors that participated, and we look forward to next year’s Adopt-A-Family give-away!