Adopt-a-Family Program Works
By Brother Rogers
Starkville has reason to be proud of its generous Christmas spirit in 2003. All of the 99 referred families in the Christmas Adopt-a-Family program were matched with sponsors this year. A special thanks goes to all the churches, Sunday school classes, banks, businesses, work colleagues, families and individuals who participated in the program by adopting a family at Christmas.
Most of us reading this column are preparing for a Christmas full of an overabundance of presents. We are worried about our waistlines growing from the all the food we plan to consume. But every family in Starkville is not so fortunate.
That is why the Adopt-a-Family program is so important. Every family deserves some joy on Christmas Day, and every child deserves a happy Christmas memory. The Adopt-a-Family program links those who want to help with those who need help. It provides a convenient way for caring people in our area to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors.
The Adopt-a-Family program didn’t take place last year, but roared back into existence with new life this year thanks to a coalition of community groups. The program is a partnership between Helping Hands Ministries, United Way of North Central Mississippi, Starkville Junior Auxiliary, Starkville Daily News, local human services agencies and those individuals, businesses and organizations that agree to purchase food, clothing and other items for families at Christmas.
The United Way provided office space for the program as well as staff assistance. In addition, the United Way also agreed to underwrite gifts for any families that were not adopted. The Starkville Junior Auxiliary provided toys for children 12 and under whose families are in the program.
Helping Hands Ministries, a United Way agency, deserves the most recognition for ably administering the program. Volunteers from Helping Hands, such as Margo Swain, Martha Wells and Sherrie VanLandingham, closely guard the integrity of the program by including only families that have been referred by human service agencies. The representatives of these agencies who refer families are a key part of this program’s success.
Due to our community’s caring spirit and the work of many volunteers, neither the United Way nor Helping Hands Ministries had to put any money into the program.
Finally, the program could not work without the sustained support of the Starkville Daily News. The newspaper wrote feature articles about the program, listed all the families to be adopted, and continually updated the list of sponsors. In short, the newspaper served as a critical link in connecting families with sponsors and informing the community about the progress of the program.
The success of this community partnership is encouraging. Of course, more than 99 families need help. Thanks to the generous response from our community this year, the Adopt-a-Family program will be able to expand to help more families next year. Stay tuned for your chance to do your part.
Brother Rogers is president of the United Way of North Central Mississippi and a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News.
Starkville has reason to be proud of its generous Christmas spirit in 2003. All of the 99 referred families in the Christmas Adopt-a-Family program were matched with sponsors this year. A special thanks goes to all the churches, Sunday school classes, banks, businesses, work colleagues, families and individuals who participated in the program by adopting a family at Christmas.
Most of us reading this column are preparing for a Christmas full of an overabundance of presents. We are worried about our waistlines growing from the all the food we plan to consume. But every family in Starkville is not so fortunate.
That is why the Adopt-a-Family program is so important. Every family deserves some joy on Christmas Day, and every child deserves a happy Christmas memory. The Adopt-a-Family program links those who want to help with those who need help. It provides a convenient way for caring people in our area to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors.
The Adopt-a-Family program didn’t take place last year, but roared back into existence with new life this year thanks to a coalition of community groups. The program is a partnership between Helping Hands Ministries, United Way of North Central Mississippi, Starkville Junior Auxiliary, Starkville Daily News, local human services agencies and those individuals, businesses and organizations that agree to purchase food, clothing and other items for families at Christmas.
The United Way provided office space for the program as well as staff assistance. In addition, the United Way also agreed to underwrite gifts for any families that were not adopted. The Starkville Junior Auxiliary provided toys for children 12 and under whose families are in the program.
Helping Hands Ministries, a United Way agency, deserves the most recognition for ably administering the program. Volunteers from Helping Hands, such as Margo Swain, Martha Wells and Sherrie VanLandingham, closely guard the integrity of the program by including only families that have been referred by human service agencies. The representatives of these agencies who refer families are a key part of this program’s success.
Due to our community’s caring spirit and the work of many volunteers, neither the United Way nor Helping Hands Ministries had to put any money into the program.
Finally, the program could not work without the sustained support of the Starkville Daily News. The newspaper wrote feature articles about the program, listed all the families to be adopted, and continually updated the list of sponsors. In short, the newspaper served as a critical link in connecting families with sponsors and informing the community about the progress of the program.
The success of this community partnership is encouraging. Of course, more than 99 families need help. Thanks to the generous response from our community this year, the Adopt-a-Family program will be able to expand to help more families next year. Stay tuned for your chance to do your part.
Brother Rogers is president of the United Way of North Central Mississippi and a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News.