You Can Brighten the Holidays for Texas Children
Por Vicki Spriggs
Directora General de Texas CASA
For so many of us, the holiday season is full of excitement, celebration, family, warmth and community. As we enjoy this time with loved ones and get ready for the New Year, let’s make sure we’re keeping children in foster care in our hearts.
The fact is, some of these children are spending the season in emergency shelters, state hospitals, residential treatment centers… even on the streets. And those who are living with relatives or foster families over the holidays – the most “normal” of out-of-home care situations – are still missing their families and friends, and wondering if they’ll have presents, happy memories and stories to talk about with their classmates after the break.
There are many wonderful organizations that are working to create happier, more hopeful holidays for these children and could use your support. In the spirit of the season, I want to draw your attention to a handful of them, and get you thinking about where you could get involved.
Centro de Texas
Hilos de San Antonio provides free new clothes and accessories, and a fun shopping experience, for teens who are in foster care, experiencing homelessness or otherwise in need. They recently opened a second location in Austin, with plans to continue to expand. They offer volunteer opportunities; you can also donate money or new clothes.
Austin-based nonprofit Partnerships for Children also has a Programa "Deseos de Navidad – you can sponsor a child, become an ambassador for the program, donate gifts or make a monetary donation.
En todo el Estado
The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) manages “rainbow rooms” across the state that are stocked with essentials, emergency items, food baskets, toys and more. You can donar supplies to rainbow rooms. You can also voluntario to help sort, organize and inventory donations – and specifically, you can shop for and wrap holiday gifts for children of all ages.
Also, there are over 190 county consejos de bienestar infantil across the state that work at the grassroots level to meet the needs of children and families in the child welfare system in a variety of ways, including hosting holiday celebrations and working with rainbow room groups.
Nacional
Un simple deseo works with over 700 social service agencies throughout the United States to collect wishes from children in foster care. They post the wishes on their website, giving you the chance to bring love, hope and joy to a child who really needs it. Learn more about One Simple Wish’s many programs and get involved.
Every child deserves a cozy bedtime and a good night’s sleep. Programa Pijama regala pijamas y libros nuevos a niños de todo el país, incluidos niños sin hogar.Es un programa maravilloso, sobre todo en los meses más fríos. Hay muchas formas de participar, including donating to a local chapter and volunteering individually or as a group.
Not in a place to volunteer time or donate goods or funds this holiday season? No problem! Dona tu charla en su lugar. Word of mouth is the most effective way to engage people in a cause – so talk with your loved ones about foster care and the challenges these children and their families face. While you’re at it, if you know someone who would make a great CASA volunteer, nomínelos!
There are so many ways, big and small, that you can get involved in your community and create a happier holiday season for all – these are just scratching the surface.
So what are you waiting for? Go forth and make a difference, and brighten the holidays for Texas children!
Cordialmente,
Si actualmente no participa en CASA, le pido que considere cómo puede contribuir a cambiar la vida de nuestros niños más vulnerables. ¿Está preparado para dar el primer paso para convertirse en voluntario de CASA? Visite HazteACASA.org para saber cómo puede defender a un niño que le necesita. También puede apoyar el trabajo de Texas CASA por hacer un regalo seguro en línea que beneficiará a los programas locales de defensa voluntaria CASA en todo el estado.
