The Giving Tree

In Case You're Wondering What This Is...

I realize that if you don't read my blog regularly, and you see this banner, you're probably wondering what it's for. For most foster families, Christmas can be complicated. Health & Welfare tries to help out by giving us $30 per child to buy gifts, but it doesn't go far. They used to put some of the kids on those trees you see in malls, but they never included all the kids. So as a foster parent association, we took over that effort, and Granny and I are the ones who usually run it. We put trees up mostly in churches, and in one retail store. (Retail stores are hard to get because the Salvation Army has taken over most of the big ones.) We try to put tags on the trees indicating specifically what each child wants and needs, and hope they each get something.

We also have, as you may have read here, quite an influx of children this time of year, sometimes even on Christmas Eve or in the wee hours of Christmas Day, and so we try to have extra so we have something to give them. As adults, we know that Christmas is not about the getting, but put yourselves in the shoes of a 3-year-old, or 10-year-old, or even a 16-year-old kiddo who has been taken from their family, from everything they know and love, and put to live with strangers. We try to make their lives as normal as they can be considering their circumstances.

When you were a kid, how would you feel to sit in a house of strangers watching them celebrate Christmas, but not being included? Now that's not to say foster parents don't include the kiddos in their traditions, but it puts a strain on our finances. We may suddenly have up to 6 extra kids in our home at Christmas time. That's how these trees help out. Foster parents are already giving a lot, emotionally and financially, and the trees give an opportunity for others in the community to be a part of the giving. We get a great response every year, but there are always tags left on the tree. And they are usually tags for teens. We count on cash donations at this time of year so that we can buy gifts and gift cards for those teens. Some of them will be moving out on their own soon and need stuff for their apartments, some will be going to college, some have small children of their own and will have to be financially responsible for them soon. These kids won't have the same support and gifts coming from bio-families that most of us have, so we try to get them things they'll need to help out. Think about it, can you spare a couple dollars to help the kids have a good Christmas? If so, please click my "Make a Donation" button, and I will make sure your funds buy gifts for these kids.

We have over 500 kids in our region of Idaho in foster care right now. That's a lot of kids to buy for, and a whole lot more than we've had in past years. I promise to post a picture of what you buy so you can see the good you did!

Thank you!