Friday, November 29th 2024, 10:37 pm
Thousands of Oklahoma children are in foster care and this holiday season you could make a difference. Oklahoma Human Services has launched its annual Holiday Hope program that invites the community to step up and fulfill these kids’ Christmas wishes.
The state agency works with partners in all 77 counties to fulfill the wish lists. In Oklahoma County alone, there are about 1,500 children who have a list just waiting to be filled.
“It's mind-boggling how many gifts we receive from different donors,” said Vaness Smith with Citizen Caring for Children.
Inside the nonprofit’s warehouse in Oklahoma City, the gifts are already piling up.
“We filled a little over 5,500 wish lists last year and we're on track to do that this year also,” Smith said.
CCCOKC is in its 40th year of providing necessities for foster children, not just during the holidays, but all year long. There is a store on-site with brand new clothes, shoes and other items.
“They're able to come shop with us four times a year,” Smith said. “We provide a little bit of comfort in a sometimes not-so-great situation.”
That comfort is especially needed during the holidays, according to Darla Hill-Myers with the Oklahoma Human Services.
“Christmas can be very taxing for many people,” Hill-Myers said. “It helps to really kind of help them give more you know it frees up money in other spaces sometimes.”
Darla Hill-Myers says the Holiday Hope program takes some of the burden off foster families, allowing donors to shop for items on these kids’ wish lists.
“We ask that we get at least three gift ideas, the maximum amount per child is $150,” Hill-Myers said.
Those wanting to sign up to sponsor a child’s wish list can do so by expanding the interactive map on the website: 2024 Holiday Hope - Donations - Google My Maps
“Oklahomans, I mean we always rise to the occasion but to see how quickly we can have four thousand wish lists and how quickly people are picking those up and fulfilling those, it makes you have a lot of faith,” said Hill-Myers. “When they come in and they're tearful and their thankful and they're just so glad this really helped out and they're excited about the gifts.”
The partners like CCCOKC will collect the donations and distribute the gifts in mid-December. If you would like to volunteer, click here: Holiday Hope
Oklahoma Human Services also needs more families to step forward to foster local children in state custody, particularly those in large sibling groups, teens and children with behavioral health needs. Families interested in learning more about foster care or applying to become a certified foster family may visit okfosters.org or call 1-800-376-9729.
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