Hundreds of Sacramento children and families had a brighter holiday season due to some spirited holiday givers. Each year Stanford Home for Children receives hundreds of requests for holiday help from its clients. From gifts to holiday trees and meals, kind-hearted Sacramento area businesses and individuals ensure that the children and families served by Stanford Home have a happy and healthy holiday season each year.
"It was amazing to see the generosity of our community," said Keith Diederich, Executive Director of Stanford Home for Children. "Sometimes I don't know who enjoys the program more, our clients or our donors."
Thousands of gifts were donated this year and subsequently gift wrapped by an army of over one hundred volunteers, including Assemblyman Roger Niello and the Sacramento Kings Dancers. Each year a warehouse at McClellan Business Park is donated and turned into a virtual winter wonderland where the process is carried out. "You should see the children's faces when we deliver these gifts," said Patrica Gooden of Stanford Home's Community Protection & Treatment Program. "Their smiles light up the entire room."
Without the generosity of the donors of Stanford Home for Children, many of these families would go without holiday cheer. Stanford Home donors also provide vital funds for programs that provide vocational services to children aging out of the foster care system, as well as find safe, biological family for children lost in the child welfare system.
About Stanford Home for Children
Stanford Home for Children leads our community in providing alternatives to institutional care for youth: the best solution to supporting families in turmoil. Through family centered practices, we connect and strengthen families, so that every child can thrive. For more than 100 years, Stanford Home's mission has been to provide innovative care and support to strengthen children and families so that they may define their own dreams, overcome their challenges, and thrive in the future. The nonprofit organization serves boys and girls of all races, creeds, and economic backgrounds--each with a different but painful set of experiences that have had a negative impact on their schooling, emotional well-being, and their ability to interact with adults and peers. Stanford Home seeks to unite and unify families whenever possible, minimizing the dependence on institutional care that can further traumatize a child facing turmoil. Stanford Home's vision for the future is to ensure that every youth is safe, healthy, self-sufficient, connected with family, and given the tools they need to develop into contributing members of our community.