As we wrap up another year at Astor, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone who makes it possible for us to give children a childhood, the best for the holiday season!
The kids in our care, many of whom have suffered severe trauma in their young lives, come to us to be healed. We do so through an array of programs and services designed to make them whole again.
A Struggle To Put Food On The Table
While for most of us, the holiday season is filled with lots of joy and wonder, some of our children have never experienced the true joy of having a loving, caring adult in their lives. And most are from families that struggle to put food on the table not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year.
Shawn, a student at the Astor Learning Center, hangs out with Santa this holiday season.
Thank You, Donors!
With this in mind, I want to thank all of our donors from the bottom of my heart! You help us give these children and their families a happy holiday season! Because of our donors, who purchase, wrap and then deliver gifts to us for the families, we were able to “adopt” out over 1,800 individuals through our Adopt-A-Family program, which matches donors with families in need.
There are donors who simply call and ask, “What can I do, what do the children need?” and then happily provide those items. In many cases, they are items that most of us take for granted — like warm coats, gloves, hats, grocery gift cards, etc.
The holiday season truly brings out the best in humanity and I am always in awe of the generosity of the people in our community.
For those children in our care who do not have loving, caring adults in their lives, we do our best to provide that caring environment here at Astor. Our staff is here every day (and in some cases, 24 hours a day) for our kids.
Dedication and Commitment to our Children and Families
My hope is that
when our kids look
back on their lives,
they do not focus on
the trauma and the
challenges, but the
beauty they’ve
experienced!
Our staff is responsible for the well-being of the children in our care. They are responsible for our children’s safety and healing — both physical and emotional. They are the caretakers for countless families. They do not take this lightly at all — their dedication and commitment to our children and families is inspiring.
In the spirit of the holidays, I want to thank our donors, volunteers and staff for all that they do to ensure that our children can indeed experience a childhood and have lifelong, happy memories. My hope is that when our kids look back on their lives, they do not focus on the trauma and the challenges, but the beauty they’ve experienced! This is what the holiday season is all about, because, “…every child deserves a childhood.”