Board Member Paula Janoski and husband Edward with her adopted family Karla and Baby Aidan
Each year our Families Helping Families Adopt-a-Family Program brings Holiday joy to over 250 at-risk families. These families are all struggling financially and are unable to afford presents.
In 2011, 250 Families were adopted serving a total of 1,131 Individuals. These families included 37 Families adopted by Wells Fargo Company and Team Members and 25 families the Los Angeles Kings Players, Coaches and Staff personally adopted. The Los Angeles Kings also invited the adopted families up to the Staples Center to enjoy a day of skating, buffet lunch, watching the game from three luxury suites and gift exchange with the players.
Los Angeles Kings Player Matt Greene and his wife with his VERY happy adopted family
The truly unique part of our program is that our donors adopt specific families based on the stories we post on our website. Their stories range from extremely sad to truly overwhelming and these families come from all areas of the Orange County community. The time our donors take in shopping and wrapping gifts for a family in need is something they cherish for future holidays. As a donor, the gifts that they provide not only bring these families joy and stability but also provide the basic necessities that they so desperately need,such as clothes, shoes, and warm blankets.
Busy Volunteer Elves Wrapping Toys in Santa's Workshop
Additionally, volunteers play an essential role as liaisons between donors and families by ensuring the delivery of the gifts to the families. Volunteers act as an Elf, sorting, receiving and wrapping gifts in our Holiday Warehouse or as a Reindeer, delivering the donated gifts directly to our client families. Without the commitment of a dedicated group of volunteers we could not efficiently run our Families Helping Families program.
Together with the entire Orange County community, we help our client families celebrate the season of sharing and create memories filled with joy for years to come!
