DANVILLE — Project Success of Vermilion County staff members have been busy wrapping gifts for the last week or two with the goal of granting Christmas wishes for more than a couple hundred area children and teens in need.
This holiday season, Project Success’ Christmas Wish List program will provide 246 children and teens with warm clothing as well as toys, hygiene items and stocking stuffers.
The nonprofit organization has been able to continue the Christmas Wish List program for the last 24 years because of the generosity and support of the community.
“The community is so great,” Program Director Abby Boen said. “We could easily serve more, but we just don’t have the space.”
The children and teens who are on the Wish List are enrolled in Projects Success’ after school enrichment program. Gifts also are provided for all of the child’s or teen’s school-aged siblings.
Project Success is in every school district in the county except Bismarck, Rossville, Armstrong-Potomac and Oakwood; although Chief Executive Officer Kimberly David says she is hopeful funding will be restored soon to resume programming at the Oakwood school sites.
“Last year we served more than 1,700 kindergarten through 12th grade students,” she said.
David recalls the Christmas Wish List program started in 1999 with a phone call from the Commercial-News asking what the children in Project Success needed.
“It’s grown so much, and it’s given us recognition in the community,” she said of the Christmas Wish List program. “If the Commercial-News hadn’t called us that day, would we have started asking for donations; would we ever come up with the idea for this list?”
“How lucky they chose to call us,” she added.
That first year, the Project Success staff was aware of about a dozen families who had children in the program who had basic needs, such as clothing, coats, shoes and hygiene items, so they turned to community members and local businesses for help.
This holiday season community members and local businesses purchased the bulk of the gifts to be opened by the 246 Project Success children and teens who are in extreme need in Vermilion County and are not being served by any other holiday program in the area.
A child or teen is eligible to be placed on the Wish List if he or she is enrolled in one of Project Success’ after school programs, meets income guidelines, and is not already receiving holiday help from another organization, such as the Salvation Army or Santas Anonymous in Westville.
Not only does the Project Success child or teen receive gifts, but also any school-age or younger siblings in the home. Many families have multiple children in Project Success’ programming.
Children and teens, however, may not be on the Wish List two years in a row so other children may be helped.
“We talk to school administrators and social workers who know which families are in need,” David said. “Our site coordinators are also very in tune with the children and their families. We serve them and know their needs.”
The Christmas Wish List program wouldn’t be able to help as many children and teens if it weren’t for the generosity of several Danville businesses and their employees and other community members.
This is the 15th year Blue Cross Blue Shield employees have participated in the Christmas Wish List program. Other business supporters include Envirox and Meijer, as well as the employees at AutoZone Distribution Center, OSF, Walgreens Accounting, Champaign Carle nurses, Education Personnel Federal Credit Union, and the Danville Fire Department, and the members of the Further Light Lodge #1130. Some businesses select up to 50 children or shop for several families.
“We have a lot of community donors, too,” David said.
Each child or teen on the Wish List is assigned a number. The list gives the child’s or teen’s gender but doesn’t provide names or any other confidential information. Clothing and shoe sizes are listed as well as a toy for younger children or another gift item if it is for a teen.
David said many people might be surprised by what the children and teens ask for as gifts.
“A lot of kids have asked for bedding, warm blankets, underwear, socks and hygiene items, so we know how great the need is,” she said. “They also have asked for books – I love that.”
“A child needed a bed, and someone helped out and answered the call,” Boen said.
A few of the popular items some children asked for included Magic Mixies, Dragonball Z, Squishmallows, and art and makeup kits.
“Every other kid wants Legos,” Lead Site Coordinator Mackenzie Woods, who also is the site coordinator at Westville High School and Westville Junior High, added.
Although all 246 children and teens on this year’s Wish List have been selected, monetary donations are still being sought.
“We’re needing monetary donations to fill in the gaps,” David said.
Boen said she always expects excitement and some tears when the families come to Project Success’ headquarters to pick up the gifts. This year, Project Success has coordinated with the Multi Agency Service Center so Hoopeston families will be able to pick up their gifts there and not worry about transportation to Danville.
“My favorite part of the program is seeing their reaction,” Boen said of the families. “Some will cry because they’re overwhelmed. Some say they wouldn’t have a Christmas if it wasn’t for this.”