Something Magical

The holidays at Hillsides prove that if you have courage and dare to ask for something, it just may happen. And indeed it did happen--our hope for a wonder-filled holiday for all we serve was satisfied. An empty auditorium, converted during this past month into “Santa’s Workshop,” was filled with gifts of all shapes and sizes. The task of handling the requests of not only our 66 residents, but the many children, youth and families served by our community-based programs was enormous, but without fail every one of them was satisfied. Extra effort needed to coordinate and make sure gifts were wrapped, bundled and delivered was made so that by Christmas day everything was in place for a memorable holiday. There is no way to describe this experience, but to say that it was magical.

Of course it was much more than magical, it was awe inspiring to see so many embrace the cause and, in spite of a poor economic environment, make the sacrifice to see the dreams of those we served fulfilled during this holiday season. Once again, the generous, selfless support of our donor community left us all grateful and edified. Please know that your efforts achieved your intended result of lifting the spirits of vulnerable children and their families precisely at a time when they needed it the most.

To our generous donors, great volunteers and selfless staff, thank you one and all for making this holiday season so special at Hillsides.

The truth is that this “magical” moment is representative of what we attempt to do every day in the many programs provided by Hillsides--restore hope and provide resources for all we serve to lead fuller lives.

On behalf of Hillsides Board of Directors, the beneficiaries of your kindness and staff, we say “Thank you.”

Happy New Year!

  

View a few photos of the "magic." 

Ho, Ho, Ho....

By the time you read this Santa will have already come to Hillsides, gifts will have been distributed, too much ginger bread consumed and a few too many Christmas carols sung, but most importantly, some wonderful memories will have been created. This is, of course, such a busy time of year and in the midst of all the activity, it is easy to overlook what this season is all about. But then you look into the face of a child surprised by getting exactly what had been requested of Santa and you are reminded what it is all about … making a difference in the lives of the children, youth and families we serve.

To all of you who are so dedicated to our mission and so generous with your time, talent and treasure…thank you.  Be sure that your efforts make dreams come true during this holiday season for all those we serve.

May you enjoy a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with good health and happiness.

From all of us at Hillsides………………Peace!

This Time of Year

On my commute to work every morning I pass a makeshift sign attached to an overpass that states, “22% of children in the U.S. live in poverty.” As if traffic was not bad enough, the drive also confronts me with some of the stark realities of life in 2011. The fact is that depending on how you look at the childhood poverty issue, the number is anywhere from 17% - 35% of children in the U.S. are impacted by poverty.

The recent economic down turn has only exacerbated the situation. I suggest that poverty is perhaps the greatest contributing factor to the fracture of families, jeopardizing the well-being of children in many ways. Poverty is a sad and tragic reality that is hard to comprehend and often is understated. We see the result of poverty every day in the children and families we serve at Hillsides.

As we get ready for the holiday season, this is the time for us to reach out to our donors and supporters to ask for your help to provide food and gifts for all the children, youth and families we serve. Especially during this time of financial challenges, your assistance can make the difference to provide a happy holiday season for everyone we serve. Your donation helps to ease the anxiety of many families who, with very limited resources, none-the-less attempt to provide a happy and memorable holiday for their children. Please find more information on how and what you might be able to do to make the holidays a wonderful celebration for these very vulnerable children and families.  

I urge you to consider what you might be able to do now. This is a busy season with many distractions and we can easily put this off until much later in the season.

As you know, we can never do enough for those we serve--even more reason then for us to do our best. It makes such a difference, especially at a time of historic economic challenges, for the children and families we serve to be supported by each of us.

Thanks for all you do.