Catholic Charities Lake County Services needs 3,000 donors to help with the annual Celebration of Giving Gifts Collection. This program matches donors who contribute toys and clothing with the requests of some 10,000 Lake County children and families.
“The soft economy has really hit us hard these past few years,” said Jim Wogan, a retired U.S. Army Colonel who coordinates the collection. “Our gift requests are up but our donor list is down.”
“I’ve been coordinating this program for the past 13 years and somehow we’ve always been able to balance out donors with children and families in need, Wogan said, but these are difficult times. I’m looking at more than 10,000 requests from Lake County individuals and families in need and at this point, we are about 3,000 donors short. We are desperate for donors who are willing to contribute unwrapped toys and an items of clothing for each child we serve.”
The Lake County Adopt-a-Family Program now in its 24th year provides gifts not only for Catholic Charities’ registered clients but also for clients served by some 40 social service agencies in Lake County.“We’re so touched by meeting people who have lost their jobs or their homes or whose families have been hit with serious illness or a death,” Wogan said. “We share the first name of these client families, their ages, gender, race and a gift request with our donors who then go on a shopping spree.”
For more information please contact Jim Wogan at (847) 782-4126 or e-mail him at jwogan@catholiccharities.net.
