From the pathos Dickens created with Tiny Tim to Clara`s dreamy travels in ”The Nutcracker,” no other holiday inspires such visions of childlike wonder and innocence. If there is one Yuletide image adults cherish, it`s that of children sitting under a tree on Christmas morning gleefully ripping glittery giftwrap off mountains of presents.
Christmas morning reality, however, is far from the ideal. For some, there are no toys because there is no money. For others, there is no tree because there is no home. Some teen girls, who should enjoy Christmas as children, will instead sit under the tree taking care of their own babies. Still others will have no celebration because they have no families.
Some children will spend this Christmas in bed with terminal diseases. Other children will spend this Christmas in bed with hangovers.
It is a hallmark of today`s society that kids, who should be able to enjoy youthful traditions, are instead dealing with problems that are very adult. Fortunately, it is also a hallmark of today`s society that, where there is a need, there are those willing to step in and help.
The western suburbs are filled with such generous souls, and they need the help of other generous souls at this time of year. Suburbanites filled with the Christmas spirit can help make Christmas brighter for some of those children in need by donating gifts, letters money, and time to any or all of the worthy organizations mentioned on this page.
It`s your chance to play Santa and to make the image of childish wonder come true, at least for a while.
To all who help, and to each kid, Tiny Tim`s blessing applies: ”God Bless Us, Every One!”
”Some kids need a little Christmas all year long,” said Linda Bremner of Love Letters, a support group for long-term and critical-care patients aged 3-18.
The Lombard-based group already celebrated Christmas in July, sending a gift to more than 600 children nationwide. ”We told them Christmas is too precious to be one day a year. All that happiness and peace should be throughout the year,” said Bremner.
The organization sends out about 2,500 pieces of mail a month. Anyone can send a letter, card or gift to their office to be forwarded to a child. Love Letters does not arrange pen pals.
”We send out a whole lot of mail trying to ease the isolation, the confusion and the disappointment which accompanies long-term illness,”
Bremner said. ”We exist solely from one miracle to the next. We need Christmas cards and letters. We ask that they be very uplifting and mention neither illness nor religion, because that`s personal. We definitely need postage, we need private donations, and we need gifts.
”We`re in a real crunch right now, because we have so many kids to send gifts to, and we need tape and gift wrap, and we especially need teen gifts. Everyone remembers a 5-year-old; no one remembers a 15-year-old. The gifts have to be new.”
To help with Love Letters, call 620-6386, mail to P. O. Box 416875, Lombard, IL 60148 or drop off at 68 N. Eisenhower Lane, Lombard.
– Care and Counseling Center offers counseling and low-fee pregnancy testing. It helps young mothers, and needs new or used maternity clothing, baby clothing, car seats and cribs.
The center, whose clients are mostly 17- to 19-year-olds, also sponsors community outreach through its ECHO program. They have a need for diapers and other baby equipment.
Phone 960-1060 or drop off at 5329 Main Street, Downers Grove.
– Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry is looking for toys for children under 12, new or used, in good condition.
”We service 11,000 people who meet our financial guidelines each month,” said director Judie Newberry. ”The kids will get tickets and can come to a little show and then trade tickets for toys. The parents go to a separate room to pick new toys for the child to take home and wrap.”
The group especially looks to churches, businesses and organizations for help, with a need for over 500 toys.
Drop off unwrapped gifts as soon as possible but no later than Dec. 14, at 659 S. River, Aurora, or phone 897-2127.
– What other gift could a child want at Christmas than to receive a family?
Bensenville Home Society has more than 300 children in its foster-care program and is in continual need of foster parents. ”We have a number of children, especially minority children, who need foster families,” said, Peggy Sharp, director of public relations. ”We`re always looking for qualified people.”
They also need donations of clothes, toys and winter coats, either new or used, for their foster-care children, who range in age from infants through teens.
The society also has a Head Start program, for 3- to 5-year-olds from low income families and needs new or good-condition winter outerwear and accessories.
Its maternity services program needs maternity clothing, coats for adults and children and non-perishable food items.
Items can be dropped off at Information and Referral Office, Center for Child and Family Services, 331 S. York Road, Bensenville, or phone ahead for more information at 766-5800, ext. 269.
– Big Brothers and Big Sisters needs volunteers for its programs, which service children from single-family homes. The group can also match a couple with a child.
Write Family Services, 402 W. Liberty, Wheaton 60187 or call 682-1802.
– ”What we look for are new toys for children of all ages, from infants through 18,” said Lisa Phillips Smith, women`s program director for Family Shelter Service. ”They must be nonviolent toys: no army toys, guns, those kind of things. We have a toy shop where clients come in and do their Christmas shopping. We can use sports equipment, dolls, games, and toys for all ethnic and racial backgrounds.”
The group has shelters in Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Naperville for victims of domestic violence and their children.
The shelter also needs stocking stuffers for the children and unwrapped gifts for women. Their Adopt a Family program involves putting together a food basket for a particular family. They also have a list of seasonal and ongoing needs, available on request.
Shelter locations are confidential. To donate gifts or toys or to adopt a family, phone 469-5650. The shelter must have new gifts by the first week of December.
– Northeast Du Page Special Recreation Association has a day with Santa for its physically and mentally handicapped clients each year and needs to fill Santa`s bag.
”We go to a cabin in Wood Dale where our participants can greet Santa without the crowds at the malls,” explained Linda Killmer, public relations specialist. ”The things we need are the little things that Santa would give to kids: crayons, markers, coloring books, matchbox cars, little water color sets and things like that.”
Like most organizations, NEDSRA also has an ongoing need for volunteers, especially for its Leisure Buddies program. It also has a needs list that is continually updated. Sports equipment and uniform sponsorship are always needed.
Drop off Santa`s Bag items at 644 S. Ardmore, Addison, or phone 530-5400 for information.
– ChildServ has two group homes for teenage girls. Some are homeless, some have gotten into legal trouble, some are temporarily away from their natural parents, and others have been abused or neglected.
”The girls need gifts like clothing and accessories and cassette tapes with rap and other current music,” said supervisor Sheila Smith. ”It doesn`t matter if it`s new or used. Our kids don`t care; they`re pleased to get anything.”
The Naperville and Downers Grove shelters can service six girls each.
”Last year, the Naperville Police Department bought them all new gifts; so we were real fortunate,” Smith said.
Locations are confidential. To donate used items or unwrapped gifts, phone 357-1057.
– Family Outreach, a division of Little Friends in Naperville, deals with children from one-parent families. They need toys and clothes, preferably new, that are sturdy and nonviolent. ”We keep a steady stock of hats, gloves, scarfs, coats, sweatshirts for ages 5 to 18, also things to hug and love,”
said Jean Morris, coordinator of volunteer services.
Unwrapped items are needed by the first week of December. They can be dropped off at Little Friends School, 140 N. Wright, Naperville, but phone 355-6533 first to be sure someone is there.
– Another division of Little Friends is the Du Page Emergency Shelter. Although director Helena Batycki appreciates any donations, she noted special difficulty in getting items for older children and hopes for items in new condition.
”Some people donate clothes that are very old,” Batycki said, ”but the kids don`t want to go to school in outdated clothing. They want to fit in with the other suburban school children.”
For information on how to donate clothes or Christmas gift items, phone the shelter at 941-8681.
– ”We need toys and gifts for children of all ages, especially teens, who sometimes get lost in the shuffle,” said Lutheran Child and Family Service`s Susan Cross. ”We could use board games, sports equipment, cassette tapes, inexpensive tape players, stationery, books for all ages or new clothes. We take used items during the year, but at Christmas, we like them to get all new things.”
LCFS runs Lutherbrook in Addison, a home for 36 elementary-aged abused or neglected children. LCFS also sponsors several needy-family agencies and needs non-perishable foods, especially items like canned hams that can be packaged up for Christmas dinner.
”We can use wrapping paper, Christmas candy, household items and things like that,” Cross said.
Phone Susan Cross at 771-7180, ext. 41, to make drop-off arrangements.
By giving at Christmas, you may be doing as much for yourself as you do for the recipient.
”It`s a normal need of adulthood to feel that you contribute, that you make a difference,” attested psychotherapist Paul Guistolise, director of the Guidance Center at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. ”Certainly one way to do that is to give to the needy.
”There is a spiritual development as we get older, an understanding that we`re part of a larger system, a larger world. Part of that is recognizing those around us who aren`t as fortunate, who have needs we can fill.”
Guistolise also advocates family involvement in helping those in need:
”Imagine what it does for children, to see that kind of generosity valued in the family. No matter how much you talk about giving, the doing is what counts. That kind of modeling is invaluable.”
Finally, there is a value for the recipient that goes beyond the material goods.
”They receive a sense that people care, that maybe the world isn`t such a bad place,” Guistolise concluded. ”The look on the face of a kid getting a toy, what could make a person feel better than that?”
