Navajo Child Drive Appeal 2009
 Why
you should give . . .
... a 7 year-old child told one staff member that all she
wants is a mother....
Here is an appeal letter [PDF] that you can download and print out - or pass it along to your friends.
A Message from Kathy Spitz
We are coming into the 16th season of our Navajo Child Drive which began as a small project with our team of special needs specialists, addressing the absence of Santa from the poorest of our poor families who had at least one special needs child receiving services from us. We realized, after the first year that having Santa visit only one or two children in each family was not the way to peace and good will amongst siblings or relatives. Over the next couple of years we evolved into less families receiving a visit, but all siblings (0 -16 years old) receiving gifts. Outreaching to our own extended families and friends, we grew, until we had reached into many generous homes & businesses across the US. In 2001 we realized we still could enhance our Santa visits by including for each family a plastic laundry basket of "holiday" food for 1 meal, with a fleece blanket and plastic tablecloth. Let me clearly state, that it is NEVER enough. We may deliver to one or two households of that "camp" but the others go without. "Camps" is our word for each family enclave where several generations live sharing food, housing, finances, as well as child rearing responsibilities.
It is a sad feeling for all of us.
In 2008 Santa was able to deliver baskets and gifts to over 250 families and the 650 children living in those households.
Although that is a healthy increase, it left the same number of families & children without.
Let me repeat, there is NEVER enough.
In closing, I send the good will and thanks from our Outreach Folks, our Families and myself.
You are never taken for granted nor overlooked in the households your generosity touches.
Blessings,
Kathy Spitz
Gifts and Volunteers
Santa's helpers are "gettin' busy" with their labor of love in
Eastern Navajo Agency (ENA). The ENA Special Education Department,
which continues to provide services to over 920 special needs children,
at 20 schools.
Care coordinators work with knowledgeable staff at each of the schools
to help identify the families
and develop lists of their children, their ages, and needs. “Wish lists”
from our children have included the following items: winter blanket,
Barbie doll, coloring books, art supplies, backpack, jacket, and
basketball (very popular among middle-school boys). And, oh yes, a 7
year-old girl told one staff member that all she wants is a mother.
We are all volunteers, therefore all funds raised and items
received go directly to our families. Our only overhead is postage,
paper, and ink as well as wrapping supplies and some fuel costs.
We try to shop the sales and closeouts off-season, if our cash flow
allows. The 2008 Child Drive was sprinkled
with surprised assistance from a couple of new businesses, organizations
and youth groups leaving us with a balance of $9,012! We have been able
to shop post and pre sales, as well as deposit money into our Community
Pantry account allowing our Care Coordinators to bring boxes of food to
desperate families.
We are proud to announce our partnership with
Family-2-Family, a
national program based in NY which focuses on developing relationship
between families with more to families with significantly less. But we desperately need additional "Elves" whether they are individuals,
organizations, or businesses.
A typical Christmas food basket consists of a laundry basket lined with
a table cloth and filled with canned vegetables, onions, potatoes, a
canned ham, cookies, bags of apples and oranges, coffee, tea and what is
known locally as the “sheepherder’s special” (25 lb. sack of Bluebird
flour, salt, lard, baking powder, sugar). We always find room for one
fleece blanket to sit on top. Since Christmas comes toward the end of
the month, most of our families are literally out of money and short on
food. The holiday baskets make the drive more personal and meaningful.
We estimate the cost for a family with four children to be $150.
We always need new "Elves" whether individuals, organizations, or businesses. We look to develop year-round support for some of our most destitute families.
Please Give
Our target age population is birth through 16. New clothing items, caps
/ gloves / mittens, blankets, toys, books, stuffed animals are needed.
We are not shy about asking sponsors to also send gently used blankets,
stuffed animals, toys, books, shoes and other clothing items (adult
sizes too) now or at any time during the year.
Our goal this year is to help 280 families and 650 children.
For sponsors who would rather we shop, we put wrapped and tagged “Santa”
boxes together for children, birth through 16, for $15 - $20. Typically
the boxes might contain; a toy/stuffed animal or other age appropriate
gift requested, a book, mittens / gloves, and cap / scarf. Toiletries
and blankets have also found their way into some boxes.
$150 sponsors a family with 4 children including the Holiday basket and
one fleece blanket.
Cash donations welcomed, but if you would like to send a Christmas presents, please read our 2009 Gift List [MS-Word document]
TARGET DATES:
11/5 - 11/27 RECEIVE SPONSOR PLEDGES / GIFTS
11/21 - 12/10 SHOPPING DAYS and WRAPPING DAYS
12/10 - 12/21 GIFT DELIVERY AGENCY WIDE
We will continue to accept any donations after these dates for delivery
before Christmas or to store safely for future use.
Please use our Donation Gift Form or use the button below and make you donation on line using PayPal. Thank you!
If you have questions, suggestions or are sending material donations, please
contact
Kathy Spitz
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