This Holiday season, the Wonderfund had 332 corporate and individual donors who stepped up to the plate to sponsor so many children. This year, the Wonderfund held a campaign #31DaysofThankYou to thank some of our amazing holiday donors that helped make this year a success! Here are their pictures and stories!
Check out their wonderful stories:
“The ‘Snowman Drive’ started at EMC (and now Dell EMC) in 1999 with an employee who led it for a local group of employees. They donated gifts to about 100 children. The next year it went to 200, then 300 the following year. We now provide gifts to 1,000 children.” – Dell EMC
“For the past several years, Gale has conducted a pajama drive for the DCF. Each employee receives a tag with an gender/size and purchases a set of pajamas, underwear, socks and t-shirts. In addition we collect toys and gifts for teens in partnership with the other organizations in our building (South Shore Therapies and South Shore Anesthesia Associates)… As a company, we are so happy to be able to help.” – Gale Associates, Inc.
“This year the JPK Stroke Research Center was able to sponsor 27 children from the DCF. Many employees sponsored multiple children with generous and creative gifts ranging from a new bike to a talking Darth Vader mask! The JPK Stroke Research Center thoroughly enjoys helping local children in need have a brighter and fun holiday season. Each year we participated, we held a “wrapping party” during the work day, where we wrap presents together for the kids and play holiday music to truly get into the giving spirit. We look forward to participating next year as well!” – JPK Stroke Research Center
“This year, a group of Moms from Saint Raphael’s School in West Medford decided to band together. We sponsored 27 children through the Malden DCF office! Here is a picture of the bounty the night before delivery.
The Wonderfund gives us all a chance to stop and think about others, teach our children to do the same and gets the whole second grade class (and a few third graders) into the holiday spirit. I couldn’t have pulled this off without my trust elves!” – Moms from St. Raphael’s School
“We look forward to our mitten tree here at school and now at our second location as well. We have very generous families and staff members who go above and beyond every year. We also feel that it is a great lesson for our kids here at school on the importance of helping others.” – Learning Ladder Preschool
“The holidays are a busy time for all, not to mention here with all of the illness that circulates at this time of year. Getting our group involved in this really helps us kick off the holiday season with open hearts and a sense of purpose.” – Woburn & North Andover Pediatric Associates
“In the spirit of the holidays, United Electric Controls’ very generous employees donated many, many gifts this year to 31 children represented by Wonderfund and were thrilled to do so! In many instances, they included the children’s 1st choices of clothing, toys, and games with one child receiving a bicycle and helmet. Thank you for allowing us to contribute to this wonderful charitable organization for children.” – United Electric Controls, Inc.
“Each year one of our major projects is Sister Santa, wherein we collect funds from the community and then provide wrapped holiday gifts, as well as personalized holiday cards and stockings filled with candy, to children identified by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. This year in 2017, thanks to our donors and volunteers elves, we were able to sponsor 200 children.
We are thrilled to be a part of this program and look forward to sponsoring additional children in 2018!” – The Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
“DGC was proud to once again support the Child & Family Services, Inc. of Greater Lawrence in their annual “Operation Wooly Mittens Drive.” DGC employees provided gifts for 46 children who are currently in foster care. Each mitten represented a gift that a child was hoping to receive this holiday season and we’re happy to say we delivered over 100 gifts!” – DiCicco, Gulman & Company LLP
“This holiday season, we contributed to supplying 44 kids with gifts through Wonderfund. We are so delighted to contribute to such an amazing organization and provide gifts to those in need. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to help out our community!
One of our HR professionals, Heather Knirk, said, ‘My absolute favorite day of the year is when my work building gets all the gifts together for DCF (this year through Wonderfund.) These are gifts for the areas neediest families. They told us we broke the record from last year with 340 kids sponsored!'” – NaviHealth
“The Department of Career Services has been serving the DCF Holiday Drive since 2003 and collected close to $10,000 worth of gifts. For fourteen years, our Department has had the pleasure to be able to provide for the families and children who are going through or have gone through some difficult times. the opportunity to enjoy the holidays. The selfless act is just a small part we could contribute towards for those in need and who are trying to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Lets face it, trying to figure out how to buy gifts for our children so they can wake up on Christmas day an open presents is stressful enough when money is tight.
Personally twenty five years ago, I was in their situation. At that time, the generosity of individuals who donated items in order for my family and I to have a special Christmas was more than I could every of expected. It was because of this reason, I wanted to be able to give back and began our yearly ritual what our Department calls the “Adopt a Family” for the holidays.
Everyone, both the staff in the Department of Career Services and the staff of the Wonderland Fund have worked hard and have been committed to such a wonderful project. Thank you!
It has been a pleasure and will continue to be our pleasure year after year to do our best to help DCF bring joy and smiles to families and children in need.” – Judy and the Department of Career Services team
“Our 4th, 5th, and 6th graders made tags for each of the 60 gift wishes (for 30 children), and hung the tags on a tree in the school foyer. Members of our community selected tags and purchased gifts. I’ve attached some photos of students helping organize the gifts and load them into cars.
This has been a great opportunity for our students and families to share in the spirit of giving. We look forward to participating next year!” – Oak Meadow School
“With the help of about 12 past and current co-workers/friends, I have been sponsoring the Hyde Park office of DCF for about 18 years. It’s been a most rewarding experience.
The holidays can be a very hectic and stressful time for everyone. Every year I wonder if I can take on this project again. But with the urging and support of my colleagues and friends, we do indeed sign up every year. And we are always glad that we did. Knowing that we are having a positive impact on a child’s holiday, and life, is a wonderful feeling. Delivering a truck load of presents reminds me how generous my friends are. Being welcomed and thanked profusely by the DCF staff onsite is heart warming. I walk away each year knowing that this is what Christmas is all about…..giving even when you don’t think you have the time or the energy. Because there’s always someone out there who is worse off than us and needs our help. It provides some perspective to my life that only volunteering and community involvement can give.
Thank you to all the DCF staff for the tireless, and often thankless, work you do every single day on behalf of these kids. I am honored that I can help in any way I can.
Regards –
Ann Thompson”
“This year, the SSG team focused our fundraising efforts on the teenagers served by the DCF. Our team loves donating gift cards, as we ensure teenagers can pick out a gift they love during the holiday season. It’s an honor to be part of a community that continues to come out in support of these kids. A big thank you to the DCF and the Wonderfund! We appreciate all the work that you do, and we look forward to participating in the gift drive next year!” – Strategic Solutions Group
“Building Impact’s mission is to strengthen communities by empowering individuals and companies with the opportunity to volunteer, donate, and connect with high impact, local nonprofits working on critical social issues. Granting the wishes of kids from the Wonderfund allowed us the opportunities to bring together our organization, our partners, and clients for a great cause!” – Building Impact
“Cambridge Isotope Laboratories has a tradition of partnering with local charities throughout the year. This was our second consecutive year participating in the Wonderfund Annual Holiday Gift Drive. The impact the Wonderfund has on children throughout Massachusetts is inspiring. We at CIL are very grateful to play a small role in helping make the holiday season a little brighter for many deserving children.” – Cambridge Isotope Laboratories
To see the campaign posts, check out our Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/WonderfundMA/
