Ten for Teens 2016: Final giving project update (we did it!)

We did it, friends! Our “final” gift card tally is 875, which means our community provided a $10 gift card to every single child aged 12-20 in foster care in the Portland Metro area (Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties).

You all have NO IDEA the impact your generosity is having on both the foster kids who will receive these cards, but also the DHS workers who tirelessly serve vulnerable children in our area. They are absolutely floored with what you all gave and the messages of love that accompanied them. We are making a difference!

This has truly been a community effort — individuals, families, businesses, churches, neighbors, Bible studies, and work groups all decided to sacrifice something this Christmas to bless a teen in foster care.

I know that some of you gave up a large portion of your Christmas to do this. Your selflessness was evident when I opened package after package, filled with hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards.

Here’s a message from Jillana Goble, the founder of Embrace Oregon, our partner in this campaign:

I cannot thank you enough for your incredible generosity! I felt speechless when Angela shared the news of how many cards were given by the community to bless local teens in foster care! I had the privilege of taking a peek at some of the notes and seeing the outpouring of love from the community first hand. They were beautiful, encouraging and uplifting and embodied the very spirit of what Christmas giving is all about!

As a foster and adoptive parent, I know that your mind-blowing generosity has been a welcomed gift for both a teen in foster care as well as for the caseworker who now, thanks to the FLNW stepping up in such a HUGE way, has something age-appropriate to hand to a teen on their caseload. Your generosity has served as a double blessing in this capacity.

Embrace Oregon seeks to serve the vulnerable families and children that the DHS Child Welfare system serves. We are a volunteer movement to mobilize the community to serve children alongside the state’s child welfare system.

There is no gift, time or talent that is too small to invest in embracing the vulnerable in our community. Embrace Oregon knows that many will never become a foster parent but desires to expose the community to the many ways they CAN still be actively involved with vulnerable children and the staff that serve them right in own community.

I welcome you to check out EmbraceOregon.org to learn more about us or contact us at info@embraceoregon.org.

I thank FLNW readers from the bottom of my heart for your phenomenal generosity and outpouring of love and compassion to vulnerable teens in foster care in our community!  And on behalf of the teens receiving this fabulous variety of gift cards in the 5 county area, I thank you for the way your thoughtfulness and desire to bring Christmas love and cheer translated into over 1100 teens feeling remembered and special this Christmas season.

Thank you, friends, for once again stepping up to fill this giant need. Good work!

 

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