This info came to us from one of our readers, Shay. Let's all do what we can to make these kids' Christmas a little brighter!
LETTERS TO SANTA PROGRAM 2009!
Please consider having your business, school or organization join us for our 8th year running! It's a program that once started, is surely to become a tradition for many years to come!
How does the program work?
We collect Letters to Santa written by the neediest children in our schools. The schools in our program are at 95% poverty or higher. We encourage children to ask for items they need and often times they will request winter coats or school supplies.
We then distribute their letters to donors throughout the country and ask that a gift in the $25 range be purchased, wrapped and delivered to the child's school. We are also asking that you send us an additional $5 per letter to help defray our program costs, for a total limit of $30 per letter. Because we are a "hands on" charity, we do not actively fund raise. Due of this, we are a low to no budget charity and this is our only fundraiser of the year.
Please send your $5 per letter donations to;
Direct Effect Charities
4064 N. Lincoln Ave
#400
Chicago, Il 60618
Please know this donation is optional and we are happy to send you a letter(s) even if are unable to send us $5. We are of course grateful for any support at all but our main goal is to make kids smile, and that's what we do!
What age range are the children?
We serve students from Pre-K to 4th grade in most schools. In smaller schools, we accept letters from children through the 8th grade.
Can I request a girl or boy?
You can request a boy or girl as well as age range. We encourage you to request letters from children the same age as yours! It's a wonderful project that will teach them the wonders of giving.
Can I spend more than $25 on my gift?
We ask that you try and stick to that limit. It is not fair to students when one child receives 5 presents while others may receive one. If you wish to spend more, we ask that you send an extra wrapped gift and mark it girl or boy with an age range. There is often a small percentage of gifts that do not make their way to the child for various reasons and it helps the schools to have extras on hand.
Are my donations tax deductible?
Yes, Direct Effect will be happy to send you a tax exempt receipt for your donation.
When does the program begin?
We are well under way! PLEASE ORDER YOUR LETTERS TODAY and we'll get them out as soon as they are in our hands! There is NO LIMIT to the number of letters you can order. Whether you want 1 or 1000, we will be happy to provide you with them!
TO OBTAIN A LETTER/LETTERS - EMAIL: directeffect@ameritech.net
Please feel free to call 312.296.5311 with any questions you may have!
http://directeffectcharities.org/
Monetary donations can also be made via credit card on our web site.
Lets try and help out but if any of you get a letter from little Tommy, save the $25 and just send a bar of Zest so I can wash that kid's mouth out!!! Now, LET'S GET TO GIVIN!!!
4064 N. Lincoln??? I BET THIS MONEY GOES STRAIGHT TO THE CUBS!!!! FUCK THAT! Why cant we do something for our southside kids? Dont the northsiders have enough as is???
ReplyDeleteOT: Was jogging around the park last night and noticed some young African American males hanging out again by the jungle gym. They werent doing anything wrong except maybe being a little too old to be there (they were from 18-21 years old). I finished running and they were still there into the night. I dont want to come across as a racist, but does anyone else notice the influx of AAs in the area lately? Just wondering if Im being paranoid or if this is worth looking into/getting the police involved in. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThe Headquarters is up north. I personally got a letter for two children at a south-side school. So there ARE south-side schools participating.
ReplyDeleteGreat cause Boss. I hijacked this and re-posted it on my blog too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information. It was a very rewarding cause to give to.
ReplyDelete