Editor,

In this busy season of hustle and bustle, good will and giving, Readiness To Learn Foundation would like to extend a warm, gracious thank you to all of you who dedicated your time, talents, donations, and hearts to our 2015 Holiday House South gift giving program.

Holiday House South boasted 84 volunteers this year, with near 500 hours of service provided. One hundred-fifty generous donors contributed $15,000 toward the purchase of toys and many of you kindly gave toys directly to the program. Your contributions ensured that every parent was able to find something special on their child’s wish list. Also, 152 families and a total of 307 children woke up to hoped-for gifts under their tree on Christmas morning.

Volunteers created an atmosphere where every parent who shopped at Holiday House received a warm welcome and a smile. The organized, store-like environment was made comfortable by volunteer efforts, and parents expressed joy while shopping and finding gifts for their children. One participant told us: “I feel so blessed at a rough time in my life.”

Thank you to other like-minded community organizations including Whidbey Island Nourishes, Good Cheer, local churches and the schools for getting the word out to families so that all in need of help during the season were able to make an appointment to shop. Appreciation to Toys for Tots for including Holiday House South among the organizations that received toy deliveries this year.

We would love to hear from you! A special moment you experienced, feedback on the program, your interest in helping with future projects, programs or events, or other information that can help us continue to keep Holiday House planning and the store current and able to meet our community’s needs. Contact us at rtlfprograms@readinesstolearn.org

Happy New Year!

Gail LaVassar, Ann Johnson, Marilynn Norby and Mary Michell

Readiness To Learn staff