Uplifting Stories of Uplifted Lives
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Helping Families in Need
Helping needy families beseeching help, is our everyday practice of work. We here at Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Rockland County, serve disavantaged “at risk” children and youth from low income families living primarily in high crime neighborhoods. BBBS assists with personal goal setting, and promoting academic achievement and inspiration so children can grow into healthy, productive adults. This preventive approach helps children with resistance and avoidance of negative peer influences, anti-social behavior, delinquency, criminal activities, substance/ alcohol abuse, school violence, and street gang involvement/membership.Through the generosity of Bed Bath and Beyond, Spring Valley via the fabulous program orchestrated by Good360, I should like to thank you for providing us with an opportunity to be in a position to help upgrade the lives of the growing number of families in need throughout our community. The weekly donation of the tremendous number of household items made available to them is so very heartwarming for us to witness. Thank you Good360 for the opportunity to partner with Bed, Bath and Beyond. As partners, we have an opportunity to improve the living conditions of those folk less fortunate than ourselves because of quality bedding, kitchen apparatus and other types of home goods. You and our partner store make so many Rockland families, very happy – G. Ballard.
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Expanding kindness
Since 1998 The Moonlight Fund has been providing emotional and financial assistance to burn and blast survivors. It did not take long to figure out that many people also needed household goods lost in the accident, to say nothing of those military families who decide to relocate due to medical needs. In addition family members also need toiletries during their stay on the unit to care for their loved one. I began soliciting in-kind goods in 1999. Covering a 200 mile area I set out to supply the complete needs of those I serve. My family affectionate referred to me as a "professional beggar".
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Home Sweet Home
Our partnership with Bed Bath and Beyond has been amazing! The products and merchandise we received have been gifted to women starting over. Many left violent relationships and have made great strides to have a new life. Some lost their jobs and home and some are just keeping their heads above water. I have a Home Room set up allowing them to shop with dignity and pride. Thank you Good360! - Handbags of Hope, Jackie Bobcean
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Bear-Able Gifts
“All too often, children living with cancer will identify with the sickness rather than the innocent, fun-loving children they truly are. As a consequence of their rigorous treatments, many miss out on experiencing the activities that healthy children take for granted: play dates with friends, birthday parties with family or the thrill of riding a school bus! Bear-Able Gifts, a program of Children's Cancer Recovery Foundation, gives back a piece of their youth and childhood. The program provides quarterly packages of gifts, games and toys to children receiving treatment for cancer in children's hospitals oncology centers all across the country. The program creates an escape from cancer and allows children to rediscover their childhoods by enjoying the smiles, laughter and hope that can be found in opening a package. Through Bear-Able Gifts, children living with cancer enjoy the opportunity to play with a new stuffed animal, try out a new card game during a treatment or express their creativity through the use of arts and crafts and journaling. All of the gifts distributed through this program are donated; Children's Cancer Recovery Foundation does not purchase any toys or other items. The success of Bear-Able Gifts is owed to the generosity of Gifts In Kind International, its partner organizations and many other philanthropic groups and corporations. Product donations of books, journals, crafts, activity sets, plush and other miscellaneous toys allow the Bear-Able Gift program to continue creating smiles and inspiring hope. On behalf of Children's Cancer Recovery Foundation, thank you for your contributions to children with cancer. You've made an otherwise gloomy hospital stay much brighter!” -Sara Wagner, Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation
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Toy donations
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your very generous recent donations of toys to The Nebraska Medical Center. You toys are such an important addition to the support and services we can provide to pediatric patients. The quality of toys give us peace of mind in knowing we can provide families with safe age appropriate toys. These toys allow the children the opportunity to grow and develop and most importantly to have fun in a very difficult situation. I am enclosing a picture of one of the children enjoying a cash register. - Lisa Wallace-Spech, Child Life Specialist, The Nebraska Medical Center
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Furniture Donations
I just wanted to thank you for connecting our agency to JC Penney/Silver Lining Studios. The furniture that we received was beyond what we expected. We currently have 3 Transitional Living Homes and we will start soon to refurnish the apartments with our newly acquired donations (smile). Mr. Haines and his staff were wonderful to work with. They helped our movers with packing all the furniture. The furniture could fit into a 40ft truck and we only had a 15ft truck. We made several trips and Mr. Haines and his staff were helpful each time. Once again thanks for your help. - Lakeside Community Center
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Maternity Care Coalition
On behalf of Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) and the families we serve, I would like to thank you for your donation of children’s clothing. Your generous contribution will help us as we reach thegrowing number of families in need in our community. I would also like to express my gratitude for making the connection for us to receive the donation from the Children’s Place. As you know, Maternity Care Coalition is a non-profit agency whose mission is to improve maternal and child health and well being through the collaborative efforts of individuals, families, providers, and communities. MCC’s signature program, the MOMobile®, provide community-based outreach and family support. Using brightly colored vans and door-to-door canvassing, MCC staff identifies pregnant women in neighborhoods, known to have high rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy, child abuse/neglect, and changing patterns of immigration. MCC has served more than 50,000 mothers and their children in the region through direct service, and influenced the lives of many more women and babies locally and beyond through its education and advocacy initiatives. - JoAnne Fischer, Executive Director
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Community Cares
Community Cares is an AmeriCorps program designed to serve low income seniors and people of all ages with disabilities. We serve 2,000 of this many times forgotten population by direct services such as; light housekeeping, cognitive activities, grocery shopping and delivering meals to those who cannot cook for themselves and cannot get on the very long list for Meals on Wheels. We provide much needed companionship and transportation services as well. Our seniors and disabled live on less than 1,000 a month and have no others to take care for them. Our mission has always been and continues to be that we provide enough direct services so that they can remain living in their own homes with a sense of pride and dignity. The Gifts In Kind International program has been a marvelous way for a program on a low budget like mine to aid this very special population. Imagine the eyes of a senior whose only Christmas present might be a free piece of jewelry to make them feel special or some hygiene products that they never could afford themselves. The TCAC Gifts In Kind program has been instrumental in getting needed items for our seniors. - Evonne Bennett, AmeriCorps Director
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Annual Toy Distribution
Dear Gifts In Kind International, I would like to thank you for the wonderful work you do that benefits so many charitable organizations. The Love Doctors Charities became a member of Gifts in Kind International in 2009 and our annual toy distribution for under-served children benefited enormously. Last year we provided new toys for the holidays to more than 7,500 children throughout South Florida. Due to difficult economic times our donations had decreased significantly and we were unsure of how many families we could assist. Thanks in great part to Gifts in Kind and the Mattel toy program, we received ample toys to put smiles on the faces of thousands of children who would have truly gone without!
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