Every Child Deserves A Visit From Santa
Hi everyone! Thank you for coming to visit our website. Most of you are familiar with what we do each year but there are a few people we have met over the past year or two through school, our children’s classes & activities or from our jobs who don’t know what this is all about!
To give you a summary—each holiday season, Mikey and I reach out to as many people as we can to raise as much money as possible to help children, single mothers, and families who need help during the holiday season. In a nut shell, with your help during the holiday season, we are able to make a big difference in the lives of disadvantaged children and families. Last year we were able to raise just under $20,000 which is so amazing! Over the past 11 years we have raised well over $100,000!! For more information, just scroll down a bit and you can read a little more on the background of how we got started and what we have been able to do each year.
The power of collective generosity and goodwill can ensure that every child can experience the joy and magic of Christmas.
We are coming to you once again for the 12th year now to ask for any donation amount--big or small. Everything is used to bring smiles to the many faces that we come across and help create lasting memories for those who otherwise would go without. It's a wonderful reminder of the true spirit of the holiday season.
If you prefer to Venmo (@Kelsey-Bottari), Zelle (kelsey.bottari@gmail.com) or to mail a check please feel free to do so (3 Mona Lane, Dix Hills NY 11746)--just note that it is for the holiday fundraiser. At the end of the holiday season I will send an email out to everyone who donated so you can see exactly where your donation went.
For anyone who is interested in finding out exactly where your money goes each year, below is a list of some of the organizations and charities we have worked with over the years.
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FCA-Family & Children's Association
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island
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Friends of Karen (serves families with children who have been diagnoses with and actively receiving treatment for cancer or another life threatening illness)
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Blanca's House
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Bethany House (woman and children's homeless shelter)
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Suffolk County Coalition for Domestic Violence
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Child Advocacy Center which is a social services organization in Central Islip
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Each year we help out a number of individual families or children that many of you have sent us. Please keep that in mind; if you know an individual, a family or an organization that could use a little extra help this holiday season, please let us know!
Our Story:
Over 10 years ago, before Mikey and I got married, we were living in an apartment in Oyster Bay. We heard a story about someone who paid off all the layaway for a lot of people at a local Walmart and we thought that was such a kind thing to do. It sparked a fire in both of us to want to do more. We donated to a lot of different charities that holiday season and tried to get involved and help as many people as we could afford to at the time. When the next year came around the charities had reached out to previous donors asking if we would be able to help again and we thought maybe we will ask our friends and family if they want to donate some money also. Obviously everyone is able to choose a charity to donate to, and many people do this on their own too which is amazing! We wanted to try to do a little more and reached out to everyone we knew to try to pool all of our money so we could help even more people at the charities we had worked with. Over the years we have continued to extend our reach to more friends, colleagues & family. We have added on many different charities and organizations and we have zeroed in on some individuals who could use the help each year for their families. Many times we find these families and individuals through the people who donate. Other times we find out about them from our children's schools, our jobs or from online groups. We have now been married over 10 years, have 4 children, 2 dogs, a cat, and are still going strong! Our kids are involved, they see the garage, basement & living room fill up with boxes of toys and clothes and they know it's going to families who really need it this season. They help organize and pick out toys and gifts for children in their age bracket. Last year we started a new tradition where I take them shopping with me. They are each given money and will shop for other children's toys. This may sound simple but it's tough for a 7 year old, 5 year old, 4 year old and 2 year old to be in a toy store and not want something for themselves. It's become a learning experience for our children and it makes this whole thing even more special to us. This year we put together this website to make it a little easier for people to spread the word and donate. As always thank you for for being a part of this with us---we could not do it without you.