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The Simple Things Mean So Much

They’re all 17-year-old boys getting gifts for Christmas, so even though they don’t believe in Santa and didn’t have many expectations, they were so appreciative. They were so grateful for people who take time out of their day to do things for them – they honestly couldn’t believe it. Even the new kid, who came in with nothing, having clothes, a new coat, and everything was brand new, it was huge for him. He was glad that he had new clothes and didn’t have to stay in the same outfits every day.

I don’t think our staff will ever forget the excitement on his face. He said thank you so many times.

They didn’t expect what they got and didn’t expect things to be name-brand. I constantly see them wearing their clothes, coats, gloves, and hats. They’re so appreciative and grateful. The ones who don’t typically wear name-brand things were shocked to have such nice things picked out for them and were touched by it.

Staff shopped with the gift cards, so every one of the boys received the cologne they liked. It was something they all wanted and one of the things we provided to the parents to give to them at home.

They also loved the traveling kits filled with items like Chapstick, lotion, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and everything else they need to make it easier to go between their homes and the program.

For the house, the extra remote controllers for the PlayStation give everyone a chance to play together! They’ve been enjoying that. We also got a football and basketball, which they use all the time, especially now that it’s getting nicer together. Instead of going to the gym, they can be outdoors and go to the park and play games together. The exercise and outdoor time is really good for them.

One kid wanted a Rowan sweatshirt and was so excited when he opened it up. He said, “This is the one I wanted!” and had the biggest smile on his face. He wears it all the time, and his dream is to attend Rowan University, so it’s helping remind him to keep pushing forward for his goals.

We made Christmas dinner—cooking over a couple of days—and had a whole Christmas feel. They didn’t feel like they missed out on being home with their family; at least they didn’t express feeling that way. They were all so surprised and grateful.

The Best Choice

The holidays were awesome thanks to all the nice gifts! Our kids got a chance to get really cool things and gave the best feedback on everything they got. They loved the coats and gloves, and I always see them wearing their Phillies slippers (and leaving them in the sunroom, haha!).

A lot of our kids come from foster care and struggle with making their own choices. Part of what we do is coaching them on how to make decisions, evaluate choices, and navigate their own experience. These skills are crucial for their development and life beyond their time with us.

They loved all the gifts, but especially the $100 gift cards. The gift cards gave them the chance to go out and really think about what they wanted to buy, total up the cost of what they wanted to make the best choice.

​It was the biggest thing in the world for them. Even though the holidays can be hard, the conversations of that day weren’t about the disappointments from holidays in the past; it was “WOW look at this!” And “Really?? I can choose the gift I want?”

It was a different level when they got to choose their own gifts. We have a unique dynamic in our program. In the last year, 85% of the teens have been from failed adoptions– so they’re experiencing double trauma of having both their biological family and adoptive family give up on them. The holidays are always hard, but especially with this group. Out of the 7 kids, only 1 or 2 were able to be with family, and the majority were with us for the entire holiday. It was hard, but the gift cards gave them a different look at making the decision for themselves and having ownership of what they could buy.​​

They went shopping on Christmas Day, and that helped make it special and reframe the day for them. They made it through, and what our donors did made a large impact.

The house gift card was used to revamp their rooms. Staff was able to surprise them while they were out of the house. They came back to all new posters, painted chalkboards in each room, and all new comforter sets. They were so surprised that so much was done for them. Many of them are aspiring musicians, so they’re using the chalkboards to write lyrics and express themselves creatively. We’re working to get a music studio set up in the basement for them.

We have two of the Bosu balls in the gym, so they’ve been using them together and just having fun with it.

They also got some Farberware pots and pans, and new dishware so the kitchen is looking great!

Occasionally they’ll join the cook to help with meal prep.

They really loved the tins of cookies too.