Donations needed to give foster youth Christmas

Christmas 2020 will be different for about 300 foster children in the 36th Judicial Circuit, which includes Butler and Ripley counties. COVID-19 has canceled their party, but not Christmas.

With the help of several people, the children should have a special holiday.

Westwood Baptist Church’s congregation normally hosts the party complete with food, gifts, games and bounce houses. The congregation helps with wrapping and distributing gifts and assists with locating special buys. While they are not getting to provide the meal and games, they are continuing to help find gifts.

Theresa Whaley, circuit manager for the 36th Circuit, credits senior social service specialist Brandi Smith with working throughout the year to either get new presents or cash donations to buy gifts.

The COVID-19 pandemic is making Smith’s job more difficult this year, but her voice perked up when she was asked how others may help.

Her response is “bring awareness.”

Children are placed in foster care, where they are provided safe and caring temporary homes when their families currently are unable to care for them. The goal is to work to reunify the children with their parents. Already having experienced a change in their lives, the children are getting over the shock of not having a party, she explained.

Smith truly understands why not as many are able to donate this holiday; “folks have had their budgets impacted,” she says.

But, she’s got a long list of little ones, and she’s “trying to get a new present for all of them.”

Anyone who wants to help by buying a gift or donating money, Smith welcomes the assistance.

For those who want the personal touch and like shopping, she’ll give suggestions on buying for someone special. For those who want to adopt siblings who are in foster care, she’s got those too.

While neither Smith nor the court cannot accept monetary donations, the church can. Anyone, who wants to donate, may write the check to Westwood Baptist and specify the money is for the foster children. The church holds the money.

If it is not mind boggling enough to have 300 youngsters on your Christmas list, just imagine if about 90 of them are 12 or older.

Smith said those folks usually are given $15 gift cards, which means she needs close to $1,400 for their group.

Smith wants “the kids to have a new nice toy.”

Receiving a new toy “brightens and improves the child’s mindset to be remembered at Christmas,” she said.

She understands everyone works hard, and she appreciates the help anyone can offer and “so do the kids.”

To contact Smith, her email is brandi.smith@dss.mo.gov or call 573-840-9044.