VERO BEACH – Since 1991 the employees at Becker Holdings have opened their hearts to a very special need in our community. They have purchased holiday gifts for children in foster care, and for young adults that age out of foster care at age 18, who are served through Children’s Home Society of Florida programs and services.
“These vulnerable young people represent a unique segment of our community that are separated from their families due to neglect, abuse and abandonment. For many, these gifts will be the only gifts that they receive this year and for some the first gifts they will receive in several years,” explained Jan Swink, Executive Director of Children’s Home Society of Florida, Treasure Coast Division. “The children will know that a ‘secret Santa’ somewhere in their community, cares for them.”
In addition to fulfilling the specific holiday wishes of 20 children, the staff also donated several additional fun gifts, which are high-demand items this season that will help to fill in the gap for many more children who will celebrate the holidays without the love and support of a family. One such example is a young woman that is enrolled in the organization’s Transitional Living Program. She recently moved into the Youth Transition Center in Vero Beach after she aged out of foster care with little more than the clothing on her back. This will be the first time in four years that she will receive holiday presents.
Caseworkers work closely with their young clients to help them assemble their “wish list”. The wish list for each individual is then distributed to donors throughout the community. Caseworkers then either deliver the gifts to foster parents or wrap them and deliver them personally to the clients.
The Transitional Living Program provides young adults, ages 18-23, with a continuum of care after they age out of the foster care system. Clients receive financial assistance, job training and mentoring to prevent homelessness and break the cycle of abuse and neglect that have been part of their lives. The Youth Transition Center, located on the Vero Beach Campus is a residential component of this program.
For more information about donations to support Children’s Home Society of Florida programs and services in Indian River County, contact Dee Benjamin, Development Specialist, at 772-778-6340 or Dee.Benjamin@chsfl.org.
For more information visit chsfl.org or call 772-344-4020.
