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 the Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC), the leading provider of support for domestic violence (DV) survivors in Durham, and InterAct of Wake County, the primary DV advocacy agency in Raleigh, to collect gifts for the children and families staying in emergency shelters 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.
Our 2020 Drive Was Another Huge Success!
For our 2020 drive, we collected and distributed hundreds of gifts for the kids in the shelters on Christmas morning! We greatly appreciate everyone who either donated funds or purchased gifts on our Amazon wish list. Thanks to you, dozens of kids fleeing abusive homes for the holidays got to have a brighter, much happier Christmas!
We'll be compiling our newest wish list for 2021 soon! In the meantime, please check back often for all the latest updates.
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.
