Every child deserves a Christmas to Remember.
It all started in the Fall of 2020. Due to COVID restrictions volunteers and even staff were not allowed to go into local Child Protective Services (CPS) offices. This presented a problem as CPS was gearing up for their annual Christmas toy drive where they needed to store hundreds of toys and clothes and utilize a myriad of employees and volunteers. Further, there was concern that conventional, in person, shopping that had been done before would not get the toys needed for 500 kids.
Under the strain of dozens of other factors local CPS workers asked One Accord for Kids to help. Along with CPS, we got creative, flexible, and collaborated with other champions in the Permian Basin. Along with CPS we partnered closely with The Attic Foster Network, the Midland Rainbow Room, and Rainbow Room Odessa to setup a network to keep Christmas trees at the malls filled with wishes, transporting gifts, and promoting the need. We also set up an Amazon wish list for those that wanted to give but could not get out. When it came time to distribute the gifts we had received over 1200 toys and close to 300 articles of clothing. More than enough to give those children a Christmas to remember.
Excited about the 2020 impact we did it again. With the same network, in 2021, we received 2500 donated toys, 3500 articles of clothing, and over 500 books. With those donations we were able to give 458 children and youth in the Permian Basin a Christmas to Remember and top off the supplies of 7 West Texas resource rooms used by CPS. It was a herculean effort by everyone involved and was just recently recognized by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Volunteer Appreciation Week.
Looking to Christmas 2022 we will do it again and could all use your help. If you want give go to www.PBGivingTree.org to shop our Amazon List starting in October of 2022 or you can give a cash donations to help with wrapping supplies and other program costs. If you want to volunteer, you can email Matt Waller at mwaller@oneaccordtx.org.