This is a special project for a special time of year – but none of us were prepared for what happened this year. We were excited to have raised and saved $5,000 for this year’s budget – our most ever, but then something happened – niceness. It started with a donation here, then another, then a grant, then a huge donation, and another huge one, well – you get the idea. We filled our storage unit – several times, filled our garages, and still had boxes showing up and more shopping to do all the way up to Christmas Eve.
By the time all was said and done, we doubled our budget to over $10,000! Hundreds of toys, games, books, stuffed animals, and more than a dozen deliveries later – you helped provide an amazing Christmas holiday for more than 100 children and their families!
In addition to many generous individual donations, we’d like to recognize the following supporters for significant contributions that made this project possible…and bigger than ever.
The Liomin Family
The Virassammy Family
The Kaiser Family
Randy & Lisa Peters
Kathryn Pye
Maria Pietsch
Gary Levin
Jennie Stroup
John L. Sullivan Charitable Foundation
Wubbanub Toys
Randy Peters Catering & Event Center
Here’s what Christmas week looked like thanks to your niceness:
Delivery #1: Sutter Children’s Hospital
Our biggest drop-off in a decade! A dozen huge boxes and half a dozen full bags of new toys! These will be used for presents on Christmas for kids in the hospital as well as year-round gifts to give out. We also supplied Legos, books, and games for the Child Life playroom.
Delivery #2: Kaiser Roseville Women’s & Children’s Center
Huge delivery of toys, books, stuffed animals, and games for Kaiser Permanente Roseville Woman’s and Children’s Center. Stuffed animals will be going to the ER and they will have enough toys for any kids admitted or staying during Christmas. Thanks to all our supporters and volunteers who will help make a difficult Christmas for some kids and their families in the hospital just a little bit better.
Delivery #3: Acres of Hope
A special drop-off to Acres of Hope just in time for the parents living in this transitional shelter to shop for their kids’ Christmas gifts! We were able to shop for the entire wish list and pack a car full of presents for the 15 children. Thank you everyone for making this a very special Christmas for these kids who deserve it!
Delivery #4: Wind Youth Services – Teen Homeless Shelter
Not 1 but 2 deliveries today to our friends at Wind Youth Services! Two SUV loads of boxes full of new jackets, underwear, socks, sleeping bags, and 100+ hygiene kits. These will be distributed to the nearly 40 homeless teens that use their emergency shelter each day. Thank you all for making a difference for these young people in need.
Delivery #5: Common Ground Teen Shelter
This year we had the opportunity to add the Common Ground Teen Shelter. We may have known someone who gave us a list we were able to shop for 🙄 . Today we dropped off Christmas presents and $2,000 in gift cards for the 25 teens staying there. Thank you for helping make a difficult time of year just a little better for these kids who deserve it.
Delivery #6 & 7: Adopted Families In Need
As part of our expanded project this year we were able to adopt some local families in need due to heartbreaking circumstances. We worked with some very special people to coordinate shopping lists, wrapping, and deliveries to these families just in time for Christmas. There’s sure to be a lot of extra smiles and surprises on Christmas morning thanks to all the support Niceness Nation provided this year!
Delivery #8, 9 &10: Christmas Eve Surprise – Local Families In Need
Christmas Eve surprise for 3 families we adopted after meeting during our holiday basket drop-off last week. They all told us they didn’t need anything for Christmas which made it all the better to surprise them with presents and gift cards today for the kids and parents.
Delivery #11: Christmas Dinner for the Salvation Army
Turkeys!!! We added a new stop to our drop-off tour this year that included 24 turkeys delivered to the Roseville Salvation Army for Christmas dinner today! Big thanks to Randy Peters Catering & Event Center for helping make this happen. Along with the generous support of our community, there will be dozens of warm hearts and full bellies on Christmas day!
Delivery #12: Secret Santa for a Special Family
Dinner and presents for some families in need we were able to adopt this year. The team did some last-minute shopping from a Christmas list we were able to get for the kids. It doesn’t get any better than this. Merry Christmas!
THANK YOU
We are so grateful for the outpouring of support this year and for making this by far the biggest and best Tower Toy Drive ever. Your donations, big and small, made a significant impact. A HUGE thank you to our board member and project leader, Tanis Liomin, who diligently shopped all year and coordinated every last toy delivered! We are also grateful for all of Santa’s elves who helped with the deliveries Christmas week.
Also a big thanks to our project sponsors at John L. Sullivan Employee Charity Group and Wubbanub for their generous donations as well as our Toys for Tots coordinator, Jennie Stroup, who comes through big every year for us! Thank you everyone for helping provide some much-needed niceness to kids in need this holiday season.
Opmerkingen