Making the holidays brighter for local families!
Through Youth Services’ Holiday Gift Program, generous donors provide gift cards and financial support that empower parents and young people to purchase the gifts, clothing, and essentials they need and want most. Families have the dignity and flexibility to choose what will bring the greatest joy and meet their unique needs, while donors support local families in the holiday season. Last year, over 270 families, which is over 670 children, received support through the generosity of this program. Together, we can remind every family that they are supported by a caring community.
A special thank you to our partners, Wintrust, for their continued support of Youth Services and the Holiday Gift Program.
Thank you for supporting the Youth Services Holiday Gift Program this year. For each $100 contribution to the program, you are providing one child with gift cards for the holidays while a portion will be allocated to Youth Services to support them throughout the year.
To better support the growing needs of families, Youth Services has evolved our Holiday Gift Program. As more clients express a preference for gift cards, we’ve shifting away from physical items to offer families greater autonomy. This change empowers families by providing the joy of selecting their own gifts. Gift cards also help ensure a more equitable experience for all families we serve.
A. You can sponsor one or more children by making a donation that will be used to purchase gift cards for each child. Click here to register and make your donation.
As of August, the registration link for Holiday Gift sponsors will be live. Ideally, we would like to have all donations in by November 27th to allow us time to purchase the gift cards and deliver them to the families.
We are asking for $100 per child. This amount will be used to purchase gift cards for each child while also providing a donation to Youth Services that will help support them throughout the year.
A. It is not necessary with this new process to share specific details about the children in the program. Youth Services is asking the families to indicate from which stores they prefer gift cards for each child. We will use the donation you provide to purchase those gift cards.
Yes! You can purchase gift cards directly. We ask that you purchase them in $25 increments for these stores: Amazon, Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, or for local restaurant like Potbelly’s, Panera, Subway, etc. Please contact us for more information about drop off.
There are a lot of ways to support Youth Services and our clients. You can donate a new coat as part of our winter coat drive in October. Families will be able to select a coat for their child at an event in late October. You can also purchase something from our agency wish list. These are items we need throughout the year.
