GOOD SHEPHERD SERVICES

Holiday 2007 at Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd marked the December 2007 holiday season with parties, feasts and gift-giving throughout our programs. We were greatly assisted in making the holidays warmer and brighter for those we serve by the donors who participated in our holiday gift drive.

With the scope of our work continuing to expand rapidly, our need was greater than ever, and fortunately, more than sixty generous corporations, organizations and individuals stepped up to share the holiday spirit with our youth and families.

These are just a few examples of the festivities made possible by the kindness and thoughtfulness of our holiday gift drive donors:

• A group of Brooklyn longshoremen played Santa for our Red Hook Beacon Family Counseling program - literally, by having one of their number dressed as Santa to distribute the gifts and toys they donated to the program.

• Our Bronx Family Support programs were able to provide twenty of their most in-need families with turkeys, stuffing, and other holiday dinner staples. These programs also held group holiday celebrations for their participants, with sing-alongs and holiday arts and crafts.

• Young people at our Chelsea Foyer residence celebrated with a pizza party that included music and dancing, as well as giving each other gifts ‘family-style,' with each individual resident getting a chance to be the center of attention as he or she opened presents.

• A staff member at the Safe Homes Project, (SHP) program donned a tutu and tiara to play the Winter Fairy and distribute gifts to the participants, including framed family photos, cosmetics, and 2008 datebooks.

• Two alumni of our Foster Boarding Home (FBH) program helped to organize a special holiday party for the programs' teenage parents and their children. The parents and children decorated gingerbread men, posed for family photos and opened gifts together.

• Youth in our NSD residences invited family members and other loved ones to a traditional holiday feast, and sent each guest home with a bag of homemade cookies.

Agency-wide, our staff reported being deeply impressed by the obvious care and concern taken by holiday gift drive donors, whether they were collecting toys through an office drive, ‘adopting' families and programs, or arranging special holiday outings. We are all truly thankful to the many generous people who made a difference for our children, youth and families this past holiday season.

December 31, 2007