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Operation Santa – Tennyson Center for Children

Tennyson Center for Children (www.childabuse.org), one of the Rocky Mountain region’s leading treatment and education centers for abused, neglected and at-risk youth, has launched its annual Operation Santa campaign, which runs through Jan. 1.

Operation Santa is Tennyson Center’s way of giving the spirit of the holidays to the more than 100 children and 70 families served by the 105 year-old agency. The program solicits corporate and individual support from the Denver community to fulfill wish lists for children’s toys and gifts, as well as much-needed items that are essential to the success and healing of the children who receive treatment at Tennyson Center.

“This program provides the children and families served by our Center with a little magic during the holidays,” said Bob Cooper, CEO of Tennyson Center for Children. “Many of our children have never experienced a real holiday season. Through the generous donations of our supporters, we are able to put smiles on their faces. I remember one little youngster kept asking for a new video game, and the sponsor drove to three different stores to find it after extensive searches online. The look upon the child’s face was priceless on Christmas morning – pure joy. It is the commitment from sponsors like this that make the difference for our children and families.”

In 2008, Operation Santa served 107 children and 69 families. As abuse rates rise due to the strain on families during the economic recession, Tennyson Center expects that number to increase to more than 125 children and 75 families this year. The Center is in need of corporate and individual sponsors to help bring the magic of the holidays to all of them.

There are multiple ways to become involved in Operation Santa, including:

Adopt-a-Family – This program allows individuals, organizations and corporations to sponsor a family-in-need for the holidays by buying toys for the children, items for the household and food for a holiday dinner. The average cost per family is $200, depending on the size of the family and their need.

Wish Lists – The Operation Santa “wish lists” range from toy lists for the children to classroom wish lists, cottage wish lists and program wish lists. Children in the Tennyson Center residential program receive their gifts on Christmas morning while kids in Tennyson Center’s day treatment/education program receive their gifts at the annual children’s holiday party.

  • Residential child wish lists contain three toys per child (up to $30 for the first gift, up to $40 for the second and up to $50 for the third) along with an alternate gift idea in the event one of the selections is not available. The total cost of the items on the list will be $145 or less, with an average of approximately $100 per child’s list.
  • Day treatment child wish lists contain one toy with a value of up to $50 along with an alternate gift idea in the event the child’s primary selection is not available.
  • Cottage, classroom and program wish lists contain items that are vital to the success of these programs and range in price from $1 to as high as $2,500. These items can be collected throughout the holiday season, even into January.

For more information about Operation Santa, visit the website or call 720-855-3358.

Tennyson Center Resources
Learn how to donate to Tennyson Center
Join Impact 105
Follow Tennyson on Twitter
Follow Tennyson Center on Facebook
Join Tennyson Center’s Facebook Cause

About Tennyson Center for Children
Tennyson Center for Children is a respected leader throughout the Rocky Mountain region in the treatment and education of abused, neglected and at-risk youth. Now in its second century of service, Tennyson Center helps hundreds of children and more than 1,500 family members each year. A full spectrum of program options are offered at Tennyson Center, including residential treatment, day treatment, a K-12 educational curriculum, family therapy as well as community-based, home-based and school-based programs. More information can be found at www.childabuse.org.

Mile High Mamas
Author: Mile High Mamas

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