The Christmas Box International partners with local, national and international communities and groups to prevent child abuse and to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Embracing the philosophy "Every child deserves a childhood," The Christmas Box International is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by author Richard Paul Evans.
out of the box www.thechristmasboxhouse.org NEWS FROM THE CHRISTMAS BOX INTERNATIONAL e Winter 2012 e cbi upcoming events Ogden Christmas Box House Open House Thursday, February 23, 4–8 pm 950 E. 12th Street, Ogden (see page 3) The Village Run 5K Saturday, March 24, 9:30 am Lakeridge Jr. High, 951 S 400 W, Orem (see page 9) Salt Lake Christmas Box House Open House TBA April, SLC CBH, 3660 S West Temple, SLC Giving Tree Project “All elves on deck!” was the rallying cry at e Christmas Box International dur- ing the holiday season, and the community responded. anks to generous donors and volunteers, Santa’s sleigh was filled to overflowing with Christmas surprises for abused and neglected children and teens in Utah. rough the Giving Tree Project, 588 children across the state were served with giſts on Christmas morning. ese included those receiving in-home services through the Department of Child and Family Services as well as children and teens staying at the Salt Lake, Ogden and Moab Christmas Box Houses and SL County Division of Youth Services Teen Group Homes. Giving Tree Project donations also enabled us to fill the shelves in the Christmas Box Houses and Teen Group Homes, as well as Christmas Box Community Re- source Rooms in Salt Lake, Ogden and Utah Valley. ese donations will continue to serve hundreds of children through the upcoming year. Several hundred additional children benefitted from project donations that were shared with community child welfare partners, both locally and internationally. Cartloads of giſts came through our doors from partnering stores like Walmart, Target, Walgreens and Dollar General. Youth groups, scout troops, congregations, corporations, individuals, families, book clubs, fitness centers, students—from pre- schools to universities, doctors’ offices, motorcyclists, salons, sororities and more rallied to make sure no child was forgotten at Christmastime. A special thank-you to NOW 97.9 radio station for promoting the Giving Tree Project and to WesTech Engineering and Craig R. Gasser Associates who gener- ously donated building space for processing the project donations in Salt Lake and Utah Valley. We also acknowledge the many Eagle Scouts and other volunteers who helped with project set-up, take-down, transport and numerous donation drives that supported this effort. Due to the scope of the donation drive, it takes months to coordinate efforts. Ac- cording to Jed Platt, Community Outreach Representative at the Ogden Christmas Box House, e Giving Tree Project creates an extreme “Christmas RUSH” in two ways: A rush, of course, as in the busyness of it all, but also the rush of good feelings generated by generosity, both of which last throughout the year.” Our mission is inspired by the spirit and message of The Christmas Box, a book by Richard Paul Evans that emphasizes the beauty and importance of love for children. The Christmas Box International partners with local, national and international communities and groups to prevent child abuse and to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused or neglected. THE CHRISTMAS BOX INTERNATIONAL 3660 South West Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84115 Phone 801-747-2201 Fax 801-747-2205 www.thechristmasboxhouse.org Every child deserves a childhood. Lisa McDonald, Executive Director [email protected]Sherri Engar, Assistant Director [email protected]Douglas Smith, Financial Officer [email protected]Jed Platt, Community Outreach Ogden [email protected]the christmas box international
Transcript
out of theboxwww.thechristmasboxhouse.org
NEWS FROM THE CHRISTMAS BOX INTERNATIONAL
e Winter 2012 e
cbi upcoming eventsOgden Christmas Box House
Open HouseThursday, February 23, 4–8 pm
950 E. 12th Street, Ogden (see page 3)
The Village Run 5KSaturday, March 24, 9:30 am
Lakeridge Jr. High, 951 S 400 W, Orem(see page 9)
Salt Lake Christmas Box House Open House
TBA April,SLC CBH, 3660 S West Temple, SLC
Giving Tree Project “All elves on deck!” was the rallying cry at The Christmas Box International dur-ing the holiday season, and the community responded. Thanks to generous donors and volunteers, Santa’s sleigh was filled to overflowing with Christmas surprises for abused and neglected children and teens in Utah.
Through the Giving Tree Project, 588 children across the state were served with gifts on Christmas morning. These included those receiving in-home services through the Department of Child and Family Services as well as children and teens staying at the Salt Lake, Ogden and Moab Christmas Box Houses and SL County Division of Youth Services Teen Group Homes.
Giving Tree Project donations also enabled us to fill the shelves in the Christmas Box Houses and Teen Group Homes, as well as Christmas Box Community Re-source Rooms in Salt Lake, Ogden and Utah Valley. These donations will continue to serve hundreds of children through the upcoming year. Several hundred additional children benefitted from project donations that were shared with community child welfare partners, both locally and internationally.
Cartloads of gifts came through our doors from partnering stores like Walmart, Target, Walgreens and Dollar General. Youth groups, scout troops, congregations, corporations, individuals, families, book clubs, fitness centers, students—from pre-schools to universities, doctors’ offices, motorcyclists, salons, sororities and more rallied to make sure no child was forgotten at Christmastime.
A special thank-you to NOW 97.9 radio station for promoting the Giving Tree Project and to WesTech Engineering and Craig R. Gasser Associates who gener-ously donated building space for processing the project donations in Salt Lake and Utah Valley. We also acknowledge the many Eagle Scouts and other volunteers who helped with project set-up, take-down, transport and numerous donation drives that supported this effort.
Due to the scope of the donation drive, it takes months to coordinate efforts. Ac-cording to Jed Platt, Community Outreach Representative at the Ogden Christmas Box House, The Giving Tree Project creates an extreme “Christmas RUSH” in two ways: A rush, of course, as in the busyness of it all, but also the rush of good feelings generated by generosity, both of which last throughout the year.”
Our mission is inspired by the spirit and message of The Christmas Box, a book by Richard Paul Evans that emphasizes the beauty and importance of love for children. The Christmas Box International partners with local, national and international communities and groups to prevent child abuse and to improve the quality of life for children who have been abused or neglected.
Transitional Therapy Program During a child’s stay at The Christmas Box House, they may experience several complex emotions around removal from their biological home and the eventual placement into a new foster home. The Transitional Therapy Program provides support to these children as they make this challenging transi-tion.
Ashley Sutherland is the transitional therapist at the Salt Lake House. Throughout the children’s stay, Ashley provides individual and group coun-seling to help them express their feelings and better understand what is happening in their lives. Crisis intervention is also available for children who are acting out as a reaction to the complicated emo-tions they are experiencing.
Children are prepared to transition from The Christmas Box House into foster care in four steps:
• Become acquainted with the foster family during a visit at the
Christmas Box House
• Enjoy an out-of-building activity with the foster family
• Participate in an overnight visit at the potential foster home
• Move from the Christmas Box House into the foster home
These important steps help to ensure that the children are comfortable with their new home. Transitional therapists also provide counseling services to the foster family to assist them in adjusting to having new children in their home and pre-venting a placement disruption.
To better understand a child’s experience and concerns, Jamie Garner, transitional therapist at the Ogden Christmas Box House, invites children to draw a picture of what a home or family looks like to them. The results are often poignant. “We talk about the pictures, and they begin to open up. Sometimes the images are dark, and it breaks my heart to hear stories of neglect coming from their little mouths. When the picture appears to have a happy outlook we discuss the type of place they would like to live. Occasionally they clarify, ‘they’re not hitting, they’re holding hands.’ We talk about their hopes and fears, about being safe and feeling loved.”
Providing a comfortable environment where a child can feel understood and em-powered helps to make transitions transpire more smoothly and placements more successful.
angel spotlight We are one another’s angels
Special delivery to the Christ-
mas Box House kids from Anna
Black, a fifth grader at St John
the Baptist Elementary. Anna
celebrated her birthday by in-
viting her party guests to con-
tribute stuffed animals for the
CBH in lieu of birthday gifts for
herself.
Lowell Finney, past presi-
dent of the ABATE motor-cycle club and supporter of
CBI, was honored by KUTV’s Mark Koelbel and Mountain America Credit Union’s Pay
DidyouknowCBIisnowregisteredatTargetandotherstores?Alistofitemsforthechildren’sneedsand the Lifestart Project is at Target’s registry station—Target List: Christmas Box House. Fora listofotherstoresanddonation registriesvisitwww.thechristmasboxhouse.org.
Moab Helps Celebrate 15 Years of Service to ChildrenThese past few months we have been celebrating CBI’s 15 years of service to children who have been abused, neglected or aban-doned. It was with pleasure that we were able to celebrate this milestone at our first Christmas Box House in Moab, Utah. In October the Moab CBH opened its doors to those wanting to tour the facility and learn more about the Family Support Cen-ter (FSC) housed there. Teresa Wyatt-Hynes, program director for the Moab FSC, and her staff hosted a wonderful open house which included the unveiling of special garden plots that had been sponsored by several local businesses. She also had restored a wood sign that had existed in the original children’s garden when the CBH house was first opened. It was a fun night of sharing about programs, birthday cake and community support.
Wicked Fun: Halloween CarnivalAfter studying the “rules of the road” as described in Sam Bracken’s book, My Or-ange Duffle Bag, youth from Northern Utah who will be aging out of foster care dis-cussed how they could put the principle of “gratitude” into action. One idea was to help host a Halloween car-nival to benefit children at The Christmas Box House. With assistance from the Ogden Christmas Box Club and community volunteers, Mysterious Myths and Legends event was staged on October 15, 2011 at Jefferson Hall in Ogden.
Greeted at the door by Hagrid, aka Lew Harper, costumed chil-dren paraded through the creepy corridors of the historic build-ing to find treats, stories, crafts and activities. The Loch Ness Monster Fishpond, Godzilla’s Cupcake Stomp, Mummy Wrap Relay and Pumpkin Putt were especially popular. Carol Earl’s Rainbow the Clown added to the festivities with custom made balloon creations. Following pictures taken with the grim reaper courtesy of John and Jean Hampton, children of all ages gathered together to hear Dave Carver share “true tales” of local encoun-ters with Bigfoot. A youth volunteer who worked the Cowboys vs. Aliens glow-in-the-dark shooting gallery loved interacting with the children. “It reminded me how much fun it is to be a kid,” he said. A little kooky, a little spooky… just what Halloween should be.
Vroom, Vroom, Vroom!What do dozens of motorcycles and their riders have to do with The Christmas Box House? It means the annual October ABATE motorcycle ride to support the children and teens served here. Almost a hundred bikers arrived on a beautiful October after-noon with gifts for all of the children and funds for CBI. Not only did the members of this club raise over $4,400, they also brought clothing, toys and schools supplies for the children. This event is highly anticipated by the children and staff each year.
As the bikers pulled up and revved their engines, a five-year- old boy staying at The Christmas Box House squealed with glee while repeatedly jumping up and down. When asked if he was excited, he replied, “I’ve been waiting for this day for 100 years! And when do I get to choose a gift?” For the next two days, in Mrs. Hall’s classroom, his enthusiasm remained as he repeatedly told her about the motorcycles and how he had been given not only a ball, but a brand new ball that was still in a box!
The ABATE Club has been a long-time supporter of CBI and not only does the annual ride to The Christmas Box House, but also brings donations of funds and needed items throughout the year, as well as involving partner bike clubs in their efforts.
Layton Hills Mall donated approximately
$50,000 worth of new children’s clothing, shoes
and toys when a store in their mall closed their
doors. These were high quality items that will be
long enjoyed by the children we serve.
no sMall task
CBC member Linda Spencer greeted guests as they arrived.
Utah Valley Christmas Box Club
Whew….what a race!!! Hurry here…hurry thereStacks of clothing, toys, hygiene kits and more everywhere!
Members join forces to inventory, bag and box.Not too much time for lunch Just a lot of long hard work for this bunch!
All the contacts have come throughWith more donations then we knew.Taping boxes, labels tooSoon to The Christmas Box Room with the new.
Couldn’t do it without Good people, donated space and storage unit.Caring individuals, church groups, business and Eagle ScoutsOne more year have come to the task.In making at-risk children lives brighter than they could have asked.
Thank you, thank you everyone without you none of this could have been done! — Betty Quinn, President
Ogden Christmas Box ClubIn November the club had our Unbirthday Party for the children. The kids made turkeys and homemade pizzas. Rainbow the Clown was there to play games with the kids and made balloons for them. We set up the CBC cot-tage at Ogden Christmas Village. It was a good to get our message out to the community. We also worked on ornaments with requests for children’s holi-day gifts for the Giving Tree Project and helped get those out to businesses.
In December we assisted with the Let’s Do Holiday Lunch fundraiser which went very well. We also worked with our local businesses for a successful holiday season. We owe a special thank you to our South Ogden and Layton Walmarts for the many items for our Giving Tree Project.
In January we held our club meeting and an Unbirthday Party where the kids made pizzas and had tons of fun with Rainbow. We have been working with Simply Mac over the last six months to purchase a computer for The Christmas Box House to network with other computers and assist the kids to access the internet with close staff supervision. We are so thankful to Simply Mac for helping us to attain this goal. Thanks to all who support us every day! We couldn’t function without you! — Tami Baugh, President
Salt Lake Christmas Box ClubDuring the month of November, the Salt Lake Christmas Box Club began the organization of the Girls Teen Group Home storage rooms and other rooms to accommodate incoming donations. The ultimate goal is to have two bedrooms cleared out and available for siblings to be able stay together.
The storage room in the kitchen has been cleared out and needs to be main-tained on a regular basis to keep it from accumulation again. The last room which we are still in the process of organizing is the clothing room. It will be organized and labeled so that the girls will be able to easily find sizes, styles or types of clothing.
The Giving Tree Project began in November with five Walmarts in the Salt Lake Valley providing shoppers with Christmas giving trees with paper or-naments, each with a request from a child who is at-risk. The club kept the trees updated with ornaments and donations were picked up and delivered. The trees were up through the end of December. — Joell Brown, President
Salt Lake Board of Realtors presents a check for $15,112 from their annual Kids Fest fundraiser.
christmas box clubsSalt Lake County • President, Joell [email protected]•801-554-8020
Let’s Do Holiday LunchBefore the Christmas crunch, let’s do holiday lunch!” came the invitation from CBI board member and event organizer Patrice Archibald. Attended by businesses, families and friends of The Christmas Box House, the annual Let’s Do Holiday Lunch fund-raising luncheon and auction raised over $19,000.
The keynote speaker was New York Times bestselling author and founder of The Christmas Box International, Richard Paul Evans. He also auctioned off opportunities to name a character in one of his upcoming books. This always brings some generous dona-tions.
In giving a report of CBI activities, Lisa McDonald, CBI Execu-tive Director, shared that “Our biggest goal right now as an or-ganization is to pay off the remaining debt owed on the Ogden Christmas Box House, which is significant. We wish to thank all of those who support this wonderful event, guests and volunteers alike, for bringing us closer to obtaining that goal.”
Highlighting the program was a message from 11-year-old Sam-mi Tolman, a girl who spent time at The Christmas Box House. Now adopted, she expressed her appreciation to those who made her transition to a happy home possible. The day was especially exciting for her, not just because she got to skip school to attend the event, but it was her birthday. Guests responded to her re-marks by singing, “Happy Birthday to You.”
The Beauty of GivingAt the conclusion of a presentation about The Christmas Box International at Marinello School of Beauty, a young, single, working mother approached a representative from The Christ-mas Box with tears in her eyes and a check in her hand. Haltingly she said, “I’ve been wondering if my kids would have enough for Christmas … but then I realized they have me.” Her check was for $100. A mother’s love is priceless.
During the holidays the school staged a promotion to support The Christmas Box House Giving Tree Project. Toys and clothes were collected by students as well as patrons. Additional funds were generated by donated tips and the ability for students to pay to “dress down”—the opportunity to wear jeans in violation of the usually strict dress code. Paying for the privilege to wear jeans proved to be so popular that the students asked to extend the fundraiser through the month of January. In addition to carloads of gifts, the school raised hundreds of dollars in cash. Thank you Marinello, for your thoughtful generosity. The beauty of your compassion runs deep.
AriseIn an effort to connect one on one with children at the Ogden Christmas Box House, a citizen group from Ogden Valley has or-ganized themselves into a compassionate volunteer group called Arise. Spearheaded by Julie Rhodes, the group, consisting of college students, parents and grandparents, hosts a monthly ac-tivity for children staying at the shelter. Recent winter activities have included ice skating, a horse drawn sleigh ride and cookout. Anna Gibson, Ogden CBH supervisor, commented on the valu-able contribution made by the group. “Arise is so thoughtful in the way they interact with the children. Their commitment to consistently make a difference is inspiring.” As a trained nurse and adoptive parent, Julie is no stranger to child welfare issues and children dealing with difficult circumstances. She and her husband Mike Rhodes also facilitate international relief efforts, including medical clinics and orphanages, in countries like Ke-nya and Ethiopia with Morrell Family Charities. “Not everyone can participate in a service expedition to a foreign country. But everyone can create a positive experience for a child in their own neighborhood.” We agree. EVERY child, wherever they live, de-serves a childhood.
In December we had 586 hours volunteered with the
children at the SLC CBH. That is amazing!hours of power
CBI Gets a Riverton RushOn December 23rd The Christmas Box International re-ceived one of the most generous gifts ever received for the children we serve. On this day the students, staff and com-munity of Riverton High School concluded their month-long Silver Rush fundraising efforts. CBI had been chosen as the single charity this endeavor would benefit for 2011. Then the fun and hard work began for this amazing group of young people.
Through many activities, events and long hours of bring-ing their school and community together, the Riverton High School student body and class officers raised a record $107,267 for CBI’s children and teen programs. Working with this amazing group of students was a humbling experi-ence. Not only did they collect funds, but also cases of canned goods, toys, clothing and school supplies for the children. A group of students even wrote a song for the event. They also invited the kids from the Christmas Box House and teen group homes to attend activities at the high school includ-ing a dance, concert and a basketball game where they were treated as VIPs. We were so impressed with the caring, initia-tive, maturity and respect these students and their commu-nity showed during this event. What a way to top off the busy holiday season!
in loving memory of DAViD O. EVANs SLC Christmas Box House teacher Sharon Hall, along with her students, created this tree for the Festival of Trees titled “Dave Evans, Builder of Love.” Dave, father of Richard Paul Evans, was the co-founder of The Christmas Box International and building con-tractor of the Salt Lake, Ogden and Moab Christmas Box Houses as well as assisted in building orphan-ages for street children in Peru. Dave passed away in January, 2010.
Kimberly Clark Corporation, a global health
and hygiene company, continues to take an
active role in helping to serve children at risk.
In 2011, employees of the Ogden based plant
donated a custom-built playhouse cottage
for the children at The Ogden Christmas Box
House and sponsored hundreds of gifts for
The Giving Tree Project, and recently donated
a check in the amount of $4,525, as well as
diapers and supplies—their specialty. We love
our community partners!
hugs and huggies To help with the Giving Tree Project, students from
Roy High School’s shop classes made cradles and
filled each with a new doll, baby blanket and note
for the children at The Ogden Christmas Box House.
Children and Youth ProgramsProvided services to over 5,000 children and youth who have been abused, neglected or abandoned in Utah, nationally and in several countries. • Over 1,000 children assisted
through the Christmas Box Houses • Over 1,000 assisted through other
CBI programs • 2,000 children served through the
Giving Tree Project, state-wide and internationally
2011 Salt Lake Christmas Box House Statistics: 150 total children served 5,500 volunteer hours 2011 Ogden Christmas Box House Statistics: 186 children served 3,403 volunteer hours donated by 306 volunteers2011 Moab Christmas Box House Statistics: 362 children served 534 volunteer hours donated by 6 volunteersIn-kind donations totaling over $512,000 for children and youth and assisted 25 other charities
Volunteers Christmas Box Clubs
Ogden — 203 members volunteered 5,339 hoursSalt Lake — 40 members volunteered 406 hoursUtah Valley — 15 members volunteered 3,626 hours(2,663 children served by the UVCBC)
Christmas Box Rooms (Volunteer community and partner assistance)Utah Valley CBR — $93,360 of in-kind donations Salt Lake CBR— $288,760 of in-kind donationsOgden CBR — $143,845 of in-kind donations
Lifestart Initiative Serving youth transitioning to adult living from foster care.
Participated in two Youth Summits – Northern Region in Ogden in June at-tended by 80 youth and the Statewide Youth Leadershop Summit in SLC in August attended by 120 youth.
Supported the Utah Youth Mentor Project’s Milestone Houses for youth transitioning from foster care, as well as a mentoring group.
2011 CBI Accomplishments:
Salt Lake Valley area:• SL County Division of Youth Services
− SL CBH − Teen Group Homes − YES Program − In-Home Services − After School Program
• DCFS − In-Home Services and Child Protective Services
− Transitions to Adult Living—Youth Summit, TAL Resource Room
• Utah Foster Care Foundation • Grandfamilies, SL County• Homeless Youth Drop-In Center• HeadStart of South Salt Lake• Catholic Community Services• Cheyenne River Indian Reservation• The Road Home• Palmer Court• Big Brothers, Big Sisters• Deseret Industries• Youth Mentor Project
Ogden area:• DCFS
− OCBH − In-Home Services, Child Protective Services, Foster Care
− Transitions to Adult Living— No. Region Youth Summit, TAL Resource Room
• Catholic Community Services• Your Community Connection• Ogden Weber Community Action
Partnership/Headstart• St. Anne’s Center• Big Brothers, Big Sisters• Deseret Industries• Letters to Soldiers• Santa’s Little Helper
Utah Valley area:• TAL Resource Room• Utah Foster Care Foundation• The Promise South• The Promise North• House of Hope• Grandfamilies, Utah County• Family Treatment Center• Guardian• Tabitha’s Way• Utah Valley Food Coalition• Mtn View Pediatrics
Moab area:• Moab Christmas Box House• Grand County Family Support Center• DCFS In-Home Services and Out of
Home Services
International:• For Every Child• Youth Making a Difference
Agencies and Organizations Assisted During 2011:
Giving Tree Project Holiday giving to provide gifts for at-risk children• Served over 2,000 children:
− 95 children in Ogden area − 379 children in Salt Lake area − 66 children in Utah County area
− 24 children in Moab area − 24 children in St George area − Over 1000 children through partnering organizations both locally and internationally
− Several hundred children through the coming year in Utah communities
• Value of in-kind donations in December totaled $302,892
− $72,157 from Ogden area − $170,392 from Salt Lake area − $60,343 from Utah County area
• Donations help stock the Christ-mas Box Houses, Teen Group Homes and fill Christmas Box Rooms in Salt Lake, Ogden & Utah County areas
• Hundreds of volunteers assisted, shared remaining donations with other agencies/organizations
FacilitiesCompleted new RBC Activity Atrium at the Salt Lake Christmas Box House
Regional Efforts• North Dakota (Cheyenne River
Indian Reservation)
International Efforts• Haiti•Taiwan•IndiaPartnered with international charities:• For Every Child — 260 children
