Jan's Kids

Specific Need

To raise enough capital to insure that children who are less fortunate and live in the Valley Falls school district (18 years and under) have a Merry Christmas.

These children, at the least, need: 2 outfits, shoes/boots, socks, undergarments, coats, hat, gloves, pajamas and of course, some fun things. We also like to send a gift bag of toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap, lotion, cough medicine and tylenol for each family. Basic needs are our main goal, however, what is Christmas without some toys?

Mission

I would like for each child in our community, on Christmas Day, to feel special, loved and know they matter in this world. I pray that each child will be filled with the joy, peace & hope that Christmas and the love of Jesus brings.

Profile

Just a little synopsis of how this Christmas Kid project works:
Children are referred to us in many ways (I always like to say they're angels watching over them). A phone call is made to parent or guardian asking if they would like to be adopted. If they say yes, I ask for first name and age of child, sizes of clothing & shoes, they're likes and dislikes, favorite color, what their interests are, etc. I give each family a number and then make up a card for each child with his/her first name and age and family number, along with all his/her sizes,. etc.

We plan a shopping day a couple of weeks before Christmas on a Sunday, the crack of black. We have a shopping crew (about 12 people on average), we split up in teams and they take a family at a time. The amount of $$ we spend is determined by how much we raise. When each family has been shopped for, carts are numbered and put in numerical order. Each child's gifts are packed in a big box with first name and family number on the outside. It's then stacked in our trailer and unloaded and sorted by family number. We try and buy as much as possible at one place, makes for easier returns, if needed.

The wrapping crew comes into play next. It usually takes 3 days to wrap all the gifts. We wrap them like we would wrap our own child's gifts and pack them back into their big box. When each family is done, the parent/guardian is called for a pick-up time.

There are no last names ever given, no family ever sees another family while picking up, no child ever sees us. Our prayer is these kids think these gifts are from their parents or from Santa.

The Lord has provided for this project since it's beginning in 1992 and it's always the perfect amount.

We are blessed.