holiday giving 2015 Monday - friday 9am - 4pm support... November 20 - december 18 It s That Time of Year Again!

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1 support... holiday giving 2015 It s That Time of Year Again! November 20 - december 18 Monday - friday 9am - 4pm We are pleased to announce an upcoming holiday giving initiative to benefit the children and families we serve at Northeast and Parsons. This initiative has become a tradition over the past few years and is an important part of continuing to provide a variety of quality services for our children and families. The holidays can be a joyous time, but can also bring difficulty and pain for many of the children we serve. The gifts that each of us provide during this time can help ease some of the strain that the holidays can bring, and is a great way to enhance the social and emotional support we strive to give our children and families year-round. There are many ways that you can help as a member of our workforce: The committee is recruiting additional Holiday Helpers to work at Academy Road and help receive and manage the gifts. If you are willing and able to donate two hours of your time to be on-call, contact Bea Gioeni at beatrice.gioeni@northernrivers.org. You can like, share, and tweet about the campaign on your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. We want this to go viral! Gift drop off details are included on this form, and the wish list can be found at You can encourage a local business owner or company to host a gift box. Contact Kimberley Belleville for more information. Family eligibility requirements are also included in this document. If approached by family members who aren t eligible, we encourage you to share options from the Community Resources list at the end of the document. Finally, you will find a poster that we encourage you to print and post in staff-only workrooms (please avoid posting in your client waiting areas). We hope you will consider joining us in participating in this worthwhile initiative. Feel free to contact one of the Holiday Helpers if you should have any questions. Sincerely John Henley Chief Executive Officer Audrey LaFrenier Chief Operating Officer

2 support... holiday giving 2015 Who is Eligible? Generally speaking, children for whom we have a direct care giving role (those living in residential care) and families with a direct care giving role for children living in the community will receive material gifts donated by community members. Gifts will be distributed to the programs as they are available. For those families who prefer to explore other resources for gifts, attached is a list of community holiday resources. We recommend you get to these community givers sooner than later. Eligibility Criteria for Community Families Families who are: 1.enrolled in services at Northeast or Parsons 2.not receiving significant holiday support from another agency and/or organization 3.meet at least one of the following criteria: a.tanf eligible b.receiving free and reduced lunch c.receiving public assistance d.at least one caregiver in the family is unemployed/ the sole caregiver in a single-parent family is unemployed

3 1.The Holiday Giving campaign is a joint effort for Northeast and Parsons children and families. The activities associated with the Holiday Giving initiative will be managed by staff at both organizations, working in partnership. Northeast: Holly Saupp will lead with the support of Antoinette Bradley. Parsons: Beatrice Gioeni will lead with the support of Tammy Gollmer, Rhonda Daniel, Fran Altshuler, and Christy Connell. holiday giving 2015Method 2.All community and staff inquiries should be directed to a.northeast - Antoinette at , Antoinette.Bradley@northernrivers.org b.parsons - Beatrice at , Beatrice.Gioeni@northernrivers.org 3.Inquiries by community groups to give either gifts or their time should be directed to Fran Altshuler, Director of Volunteers and Interns. Inquiries by corporate groups should be directed to Kimberley Belleville, Development Specialist. 4.The wish list and other program details can be found at 5.Gifts will be accepted between November 20 and December 18 between the hours of 9am and 4pm. Gift drop off locations are:

4 holiday giving 2015 Northeast Parent & Child Society 1 Genium Plaza Schenectady, NY Parsons Child and Family Center 54 Academy Road (Residential Offices) Albany, NY Gift drop off locations will be responsible for receiving gifts, collecting donor information and providing a carbon copy receipt to donors and the Development Department. Receipts to Development should be sent via interoffice mail or delivered directly to the Development Department located on the Academy Road campus at 52 Academy Road, Albany. 7.Detailed information regarding the criteria and steps to register children and families in the program, as well as the gift selection and distribution process will be managed by the program representatives. Please contact the program representative with questions. { Many thanks to Fran, Antoinette, Bea, Tammy, } Holly, Rhonda, & Christy for their generous time!

5 holiday giving 2015Holiday Services Resource List 2015 The Food Pantries Call the contact number and give your street address, you will be referred to the local food pantry in your area. They will also refer you to other holiday programs including Thanksgiving Baskets, toys, etc. United Way can be accessed by phone or computer A toll-free call to connects you to a community resource specialist in your area who can put you in touch with local organizations. Alpha Pregnancy Care (Albany) Alpha Pregnancy Care is an approved Toys for Tots (Schenectady) Distributor, providing toys to needy children at Christmas (Amsterdam) Application required, deadline early December. Call for details. Serves children Capital City Rescue Mission ext South Pearl Street Albany, NY Columbia Opportunities The City Mission of Schenectady Catholic Charities Salvation Army S. Ferry Street P.O. Box 1787 Albany, NY Call to be added to the list for Adopt-A-Family gift giving program. Provides holiday gifts for children (up to age 17) who live in Columbia County. Also may provide funds for family emergencies throughout the year. Families register for gifts through the Columbia County Department of Social Services late November through Mid December. Columbia County Residents up to 17 only Will assist with gifts for children age 13 and younger who reside in the City of Schenectady. Will need to register in person with identification for adult and children and identification showing current address. Provides Christmas gifts for children of low income families in Rensselaer County. Must show proof of address, income statement, proof of residency with utility bill with address. Must come in-person to reserve Must contact your local food pantry (see above) and seek assistance through them first. If they cannot give you assistance they will then send a referral for you to the Albany Area Salvation Army. Salvation Army Salvation Army- Schenectady provides new toys to children ages infant to 12. Registration required. Call starting in early November. Low income families in Schenectady County.

6 holiday giving 2015 Fulmont Community Action Agency Franklin Community Center Helps families in need with providing a toy for their child/children for the holiday. Fulton-Montgomery County Residents only Provides assistance at holidays to low-income families and individuals in need in Saratoga County- Thanksgiving baskets, holiday gifts/toys, Christmas baskets. Applications required and must be completed and returned to Franklin community Center call for deadline. The Angel Tree Program Helps needy families in Saratoga find presents for their children for the Holiday season. Call for details. Application required. Community Advocacy Referral and Education (CARE) Provides Mechanicville Area residents with easy access to human services through satellite services and emergency assistance. Thanksgiving Baskets, Holiday toy program. Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties. Application required. Toy program children up to age 10. Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Rensselaer County Zion Lutheran Church Castle Point Road Athens, NY Toys for Tots First Church in Albany N. Pearl Street Albany, NY Has a part for all kids who reside in the City of Rensselaer and makes sure that each child receives a gift. ID and proof of residence required. For families living in the Athens & Coxsackie area only. Call contact number from now until November 1 for gift donations. To receive assistance from Toys for Tots agency you must sign up through Local City Mission, local participating church, or local Salvation Army. From now until Thanksgiving sign up for Christmas Shop Program call for dates/times. Must bring address verification and identification for children.