The Christmas Box International
Out of the Box Every child deserves a childhood.
Edition
02
June 2010
www.thechristmasboxhouse.org
In this Issue - The Lifestart Initiative - Christmas Box Clubs - Kids Fest Events - Christmas Box House Conference
Our mission is inspired by the spirit and message of The
Christmas Box, a book by Richard Paul Evans that emphasizes the beauty and importance of love for children. The Christmas Box International partners with local and international communities and groups to prevent child abuse and to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused or neglected.
- Twilight Eclipse - Sneak Preview - The Christmas Box Open Houses - Upcoming Events
Lifestart Initiative Each year The Christmas Box International offers hope to youth who are transitioning from foster care to adult living through the Lifestart Initiative in the form of material and emotional support. One integral part of the Lifestart Initiative is the Christmas Box Lifestart Kits. Each youth leaving foster care at 18 years of age will receive a Lifestart Kit. Each kit includes basic home items such as sheets, blanket, dishes, cookware, towels, first aid kit, tools and toiletry items. The community is invited to participate in the assembling of the kits. Lifestart Kit Volunteer Schedule: To schedule a time to volunteer, please contact Sherri Engar
Volunteers need to be at least 16 years old
sherri@thechristmasboxhouse.org 801-886-1113
ALL VOLUNTEERS NEED TO BE PRESCHEDULED.
Project Schedule: Set-Up Day – Wednesday, July 7th 9:00 am – Noon Noon – 3:00 pm
Directions to the project location in SLC will be given when you sign up to volunteer
Assembly Day – Thursday, July 8th 9:00 am – Noon Noon – 3:00 pm
Lunch will be provided
The Christmas Box International Administrative Offices 1775 W 1500 S Salt Lake City, Utah 84104 Phone - 801-886-1113 Fax - 801-886-9066 www.thechristmasboxhouse.org Lisa McDonald Executive Director lisam@thechristmasboxhouse.org Sherri Engar Assistant Director sherri@thechristmasboxhouse.org Douglas Smith Financial Officer dsmith@thechristmasboxhouse.org Caleb Loveless Programs and Development caleb@thechristmasboxhouse.org
Christmas Box Wishlist Urgently needed items: *New Shorts and T-shirts size 2T – Adult XXL *Gift Cards for summer activities For information about volunteering, donating or fundraising, please contact: Sherri Engar Sherri@thechristmasboxhouse.org 801-886-1113
Click Here to Donate
The motto of The Christmas Box International is every child deserves a childhood. Part of any childhood should be the opportunity to have basic things like new clothes or a chance to go out for special activities. Unfortunately many of the children we serve have never had these types of opportunities. We are thankful for our donors and volunteers who assist us in providing a better childhood for children who are abused and neglected. Thank you!
Christmas Box Volunteer Clubs Utah Valley CBC - Hosted a Picnic In The Park for foster families. The club also made arrangements for younger girls in foster families to attend The Princess Festival in Lindon Utah, through the generosity of the In Our Own Quiet Way Foundation and through our wonderful community donors. Ogden CBC - Provided monthly unbirthday parties at the Ogden Christmas Box House with a clown and homemade pizza. The club also contributed annual activity passes to local attractions for the children. Salt Lake CBC - Provided monthly activities for children and youth at the Salt Lake Christmas Box House and group homes. The club also acquired and assembled hygiene kits for the upcoming Lifestart Kit project. A special thanks to all of our volunteers for their support with our recent events and Christmas Box House Conference.
Christmas Box Club Presidents: Salt Lake County, Joell Brown joellbrown@hotmail.com 801-553-8020 Weber/Davis County, Tami Baugh christmasboxclub@yahoo.com 801-698-3113 Utah County, Betty Quinn bettyquinn15@yahoo.com 801-465-3645
Christmas Box Conference On May 19th the Christmas Box International hosted the Christmas Box House Conference at Heritage Gardens. The theme this year was “The Incredibles”. The purpose of the conference was to show appreciation to the hard working staff of the Christmas Box Houses and allow administrators and staff at the individual facilities to discuss and share information to better assist the children we serve. We were honored with an appearance from founder Richard Paul Evans and keynote speaker Chad Hymas gave a motivational seminar centered on how we make a difference in the lives of others. The conference consisted of speakers, games, food, a round table discussion, and fun activities. We are thankful for all the staff at The Christmas Box Houses who work so tirelessly to serve children who have been abused and neglected. We would also like to thank our generous donors who helped make this event possible.
Kids Fest Fundraising Events
Nonprofit Day on the Hill was a great success this year! We spent the day with 33 member organizaTuesday, June 10th marked the annual Kids Fest Golf Tournament tions who spoke to their legislators about their imhosted by The Salt Lake Board of Realtors. With wind and rain in our ThanksBox to Jayceen forecast forpact the day, we community. felt like our Christmas angels were Craven her expertise watching over us yetWalker again asfor thesharing thunderstorms seemed toand justenmiss us. thusiasm At 7:30 am 32 teams set out on a shotgun round. Challenges where set up on several holes during the tournament including a, “closest to the hole par 3” and a “blindfold closest to the hole par 3”. The winner of the blindfold contest hit a miraculous shot within 12 inches of the hole from 195 yards! After a the tournament sponsors and golfers enjoyed a delicious lunch and participated in silent and live auctions. The event was able to raise close to $21,000 to support children who are abused and neglected. We are grateful to Melanie White and Dan Taylor who co-chaired the event, along with Ryan Kay and Laura McKee who co-chair the Kids Fest Committee as well as to all who helped the tournament be a success. Next year’s tournament is tentatively set for Monday, June 20th at Stonebridge Golf Course.
The Salt Lake Board of Realtors also held the Kids Fest Mother’s Day Boutique on May 4th at their Sandy office. This fun event had a variety of vendors with good deals for the shoppers. This was a great success raising almost $4,500. We are thankful to everyone involved with Kids Fest and to all the fantastic donors who make these events possible.
Story of Giving We appreciate everyone who serves and supports children who are abused and neglected. It’s always wonderful to see so many who are willing to give to those who are less fortunate. Recently we had two young girls who used their own birthday parties to serve others. Instead of asking for gifts for themselves, both of these girls, one turning six years old and the other twelve, decided to request that their friends and families buy new clothes which could be donated to children at The Christmas Box Houses. On the one day of the year that a celebration is arranged just for them, these girls decided to look beyond themselves to serve other children in their community. We are thankful to these young girls who found ways to serve and set an example for all of us of compassion, love, and giving.
Christmas Box Open Houses On May 11th and 12th The Christmas Box International hosted open houses at the Ogden and Salt Lake Christmas Box Houses. The events were unique opportunities for local community, government, and business leaders to tour the facilities and gain a greater insight about the ongoing child welfare services and supports they provide. We had a nice turnout and the evenings were a great success. A special thank you to One Voice Children’s Choir as well as local businesses who donated delicious food and flowers to make these events so enjoyable.
Join The Christmas Box International, The Boy Scout Group 4 of Northern Ogden, and Walker Cinema for an advanced screening of Twilight- Eclipse.
June 29th
9:00 pm
All proceeds from the evening will benefit The Christmas Box International and other local charities. $20 Includes - V.I.P Advanced Screening ticket - $3 concessions credit - Brand new stadium seating For tickets call Doug or Janet Reinhart at 801-393-1674
Spring Activities at the Christmas Box Houses Ogden This spring was full of fun things to do at the Ogden Christmas Box House. The children were able to attend two sporting events during the month of May. They were taken to watch a Davis Cowboys football game and to a Blaze arena football game. As usual, watching these sporting events brought out the sports fan in staff and child alike. The Christmas Box Club hosted their monthly Un-birthday Party during May by having the kids and staff attend a BBQ. There were games, food, and of course Rainbow the Clown. It was good food and good fun for everyone. The children had a chance to go to the Ogden Treehouse and to play arcade games over at Nickelcade. The children and staff both loved these activities. Equally as fun were the trips to Salt Lake to go to the Clark Planetarium, The Living Planet Aquarium, the Hogle Zoo and Tracy Aviary. Each field trip had something different to offer the kids in the form of entertainment and information.
Salt Lake It was a fantastic spring at the Salt Lake Christmas Box House. The older teens were honored with a special drug prevention presentation and lunch with Heather Anderson, 2007 Miss Utah. The teens responded well to the presentation and enjoyed the pizza afterwards. The children also had a chance to participate in a pinewood derby, Tanner dance camp, and a reptile show provided by Scales and Tales. As always the children loved the chance to participate in animal therapy. The children got a chance to do several fun activities including the Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary, Discovery Gateway, Clark Planetarium, Maggie Moos, several spring movies, and the Utah Blaze. The children are able to do these fun activities because of the generous donations of community partners.
Upcoming Events Tuesday, June 29
Thursday, November 4
Twilight Eclipse Advanced Screening
Traditions of Giving Event
Walker Cinema, North Ogden
Little America, Salt Lake City
Wednesday - Thursday, July 7-8
Friday, December 3
Lifestart Kit Project
Let’s Do Holiday Lunch
Call for project location
Ogden Eccles Center, Ogden
Saturday, September 25
December
Kids Fest Angel 5K Walk & Run
The Giving Tree Project
Sugar House Park
TBA