The Christmas Smiles Drive
The Need
The holidays are usually a time of peace, joy, and celebration, but they can be tough on many individuals and families, particularly those fleeing abusive homes. Leaving behind everything you know and being forced to find shelter elsewhere is hard enough for adults, but the emotional toll can be even harder on children.
Through our Christmas Smiles Drive, we aim to make the holiday season a more joyous time for children and families in transition. To meet this need, we're proud to have partnered with InterAct of Wake County, the leading DV advocacy agency in Raleigh, to provide gifts for the children and families staying in their emergency shelter on Christmas morning.
The Impact
Marcus started the Christmas Smiles Drive personally in 2016, then made it an official program of ours when we launched in 2018. To date, we've distributed hundreds of toys, books, games, and other gifts, thanks to our community partners and individuals who've contributed to our collection efforts.
More Smiles Than Ever Before!
Our 6th annual Christmas Smiles Drive was our best one yet! :)
Because InterAct had more than enough gifts for the families they serve, we were able to provide some of the items we collected through the drive to our Neighborfood Express families! We were thrilled to help make the holidays even happier for the kids we serve through the program.
Even better: Marcus used his own personal funds to purchase dozens of toys, games, books, and other items for the kids, and he and Lisa, one of our amazing Neighborfood Express volunteers, had a great time surprising the families with their gifts right before Christmas!
We truly love our families with all our hearts!
To everyone who donated books, games, toys, and so many other wonderful gifts: we could not appreciate you more! Because of your incredible generosity, dozens of kids had plenty to smile about on Christmas morning.
We're looking forward to making this year's drive even bigger and better!
Donate
Want to donate instead of buying a gift? Not a problem! Please feel free to make a financial donation to the drive through our secure online payment button below. Your payment info will be encrypted and protected through PayPal, the world's most trusted online merchant vendor, and the funds from your donation will be used specifically for the Christmas Smiles Drive.
