Agency Details:

Christmas Wish Program, Inc

Christmas Wish Program is a nonprofit organization run 100% by volunteers, and solely supported by public donations. Our mission is to help end the cycle of homelessness and poverty through interactive hands on solutions. Holding their hearts in our hands.

Description:
Our program provides homeless, poverty stricken and abused children year round with food, clothing, life necessities, personal hygiene kits, back to school supplies, emergency services, etc. In addition, our program sponsors 1000's of children during the holidays with gifts, clothing, and parties with Santa and the Easter Bunny. Over the years we have expanded to include services on Oahu throughout the year. This last year 2006 we provided Christmas gifts to over 1,000 keiki on the Big Island and over 300 on Oahu. As we have expanded our reading and tutoring program, in 2005 RIF (reading is fundamental)choose our agency to implement a pilot project called Club RIF, which allows teens to mentor a younger child with reading based activities. In 2007 we have expanded that to include a 9 week summer camp, where teens from all over the US will be mentoring our homeless keiki with all sorts of activities and educational programs.
Our organization is in the process of developing a 40 unit transitional housing project for the homeless families on the Big Island of Hawai'i.
All our programs are offered free to our clients, all our staff is on a volunteer basis, which allows 100% of all the donations help the homeless. As well, our agency is fully supported by public donations, and few community grants. We form partnerships with other agencies and companies to assure that all our keiki are well provided for. some of our partnerships include Starbucks Foundation, Young Bros. Tug & Barge, Macy's West, Sunlights in Kona, and Kandi's Drive Inn in Hilo, Neiman Marcus at Ala Moana, Tesoro Gas in Hilo.

History:
Our program was founded in 1988 in a small town in California. Our vision was to help the abused teens that were abandon by their parents experience the wonders of Christmas. A few years after that, we provided gifts to the farm workers children for Christmas. This led to all the holidays, and eventually, we were serving all the local crisis centers, shelters, battered women shelters, Head Start pre-school, and other agencies year round. When founding the program on Hawai'i, our founder found a huge need to provide more than just life necessities due to the lack of housing options for low income families. To stop the cycle of homelessness and poverty, these families need not only a secure and healthy place to live, but the proper training and skills. That leads us to our biggest ever project. A transitional housing units to provide life-planning and self-esteem workshops, career training and education for the mothers to be able to provide for their families. Our program will also conduct a co-op child care, family counseling, and 27 months of re constructing their lives in our beautiful homes.
At the end of the program, each family will have approx. $10,000.00 to put towards a down payment by utilizing our savings trust fund opportunity. This is a "pipe-dream" they say, but one day the perfect donor will come along, and our children won't have to dream any longer. We have commitments from UH Hilo, Island Family Counciling and other company resources that will be the support system our families need.
To see more about our programs and how you can help visit our website at www.ChristmasWishProgram.org or email at HelpingHands@ChristmasWishProgram.org

Contact people:

Magin Patrick, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Carolyn Newsome, Fundraiser Chair, (email) Gina Greene, Project Director, (email)

Office fax number: (808) 982-8128

Address:

P.O. Box 1844 Kea'au, HI 96749

Web Site: http://www.ChristmasWishProgram.org

Last updated on August 22, 2010