The Center for Children and Families launches annual “Christmas Project”
Special to The Clinton Courier
The holiday season is officially underway at The Center for Children and Families (“The Center”), and the Clinton community is invited to help make Christmas a little brighter for local children and teens through The Center’s annual “Christmas Project.”
The Center for Children and Families, which began as a small CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program in Monroe, Louisiana, has grown into a nationally recognized non-profit agency that stands as a beacon of hope, serving thousands of children and families annually, providing essential support through advocacy, counseling, education and prevention, to help them overcome challenges and build brighter futures. The organization has established offices in not only Crowley, Monroe, and Shreveport, Louisiana, but also in Clinton, providing essential programs designed to meet the unique needs of children and families in the area.
For more than twenty years, The Center’s “Christmas Project” has brought together community members, businesses and organizations to provide gifts and essential items to children and families served by The Center. What began as a small effort to make sure children had something to open on Christmas morning has grown into a community-wide tradition of giving that reaches families throughout Mississippi and Louisiana.
“The Christmas Project is about so much more than a gift under the tree,” said Chris Ramsey, COO for The Center for Children and Families. “It’s about reminding children and families that their community sees them, values them and wants them to experience hope during the Christmas season.”
Each year, The Center serves more than 5,000 children and families through its services and programs. Organizers say what makes The Christmas Project especially meaningful is that it grows out of The Center’s year-round relationships with children and families. The Center’s team members are in the community and face-to-face with families throughout the year, giving a firsthand understanding of the challenges they are navigating and the needs they have.
When the holidays arrive, The Christmas Project gives the community another opportunity to show up for those families in a very tangible way.
Last year, organizers say the generosity of the community helped The Center provide Christmas gifts to more than 1,200 children. As the need continues, The Center is once again inviting individuals, businesses, churches, civic groups and other organizations to join the effort.
Clintonians are encouraged to get involved by sponsoring a wish list, making a donation or becoming a collection site.
Individuals, families, businesses and organizations can sponsor a child or family’s Christmas wish list and purchase the requested gifts, clothing, shoes and other needed items. Financial contributions help The Center purchase gifts that fill gaps when specific items are still needed, helping ensure that every child participating in The Christmas Project can experience the joy of Christmas.
Businesses and organizations can serve as a community collection site, giving employees, customers and community members a convenient place to donate new, unwrapped gifts and clothing for local children and teens.
The Center says it is especially grateful for partners who make the project possible year after year – from a business collecting gifts in its lobby to a family sponsoring a wish list or an individual making a financial contribution, every act of generosity helps bring hope to a local child or teen.
“The Christmas Project is one of the clearest examples of what can happen when a community comes together,” said Dr. Matt Nappier, CEO for The Center for Children and Families. “Every gift, every collection box and every donation represents someone choosing to show up for a child and remind them that they matter.”
To learn more about The Christmas Project, sponsor a wish list, become a collection site or make a donation, visit StandForHope.org. Clinton’s Center for Children and Families office is located at 604 Highway 80 West, Suite R. For more information about The Center’s services, call 601-473-2106.
To get involved
- Sponsor a wish list
- Become a collection site
- Make a donation
www.StandForHope.org
