Posted: Monday, December 16, 2013
To many children, the holidays mean presents, parties and fun with family and friends. However, the reality is that many children won’t have that same experience this holiday season. But thanks to a remarkable new TPC employee, Case Manager Christopher Jordan, there will be many more smiles on the faces of children during this magical time of year.
Just four short months ago, Christopher Jordan started at TPC, working with adult clients for the first time in his career. He coordinated toy drives for the holiday season in the past, and, not surprisingly, was very eager to help our TPC children and families receive a special toy this year.
Christopher coordinated efforts with Annual Campaign Manager Erica Donnelly to make sure all the programs were included. The final list included approximately 300 children, including children from TPC School, ECI program and from the Prairie Avenue location.
Before Thanksgiving, Christopher submitted an application to the Toys for Tots program requesting 300 toys for boys and girls. He soon found out, because of the overwhelming demand to help families in need this holiday season, the program capped all requests at 200. To collect the remaining 100 toys, with a deadline quickly approaching, he reached out to his network of friends and family through emails, texting, Facebook and phone conversations. He was determined to achieve the goal of giving a toy to each and every child on the list.
His quest started with a friendly wager with his toy campaign partner, Joli. Competitive in nature, Joli said, “bring it on!” She quickly organized a tree trimming party where all guests were requested to bring a toy for this special cause. This party was a great success and easily brought in enough toys to reach the goal. Chris was very excited and did not mind losing this battle to Joli.
Christopher did not stop there. He is also a contributing member of “Forty Plus and Fabulous,” a group who engages in fundraising events for different organizations. He reached out to this group of over 20 people and additional toys were graciously donated from their network, including items from the Gloria Gemma Foundation in Rhode Island. “I am very fortunate to have a network of friends that share my passion for giving,” said Christopher. “Some people might say that I don’t get to see the children receiving the gifts. I tell them that it is purely the joy of giving back that is so exciting and knowing the family will be happier for the holidays.”
Days before the deliveries were made to the TPC School on Hope Street and to Prairie Avenue, Christopher sat in his living room and separated out the boys and girls toys. “Having the toys in the house was so much fun and I can’t wait to make the final delivery to see the expressions on the staff’s faces,” said Christopher. “They know how much a new toy means to each of the children and their families.”
On the first snowy day of the season, Tuesday, December 10, Christopher drove one of TPC’s vans and picked up all the toys from his house and Joli’s. The van was packed from floor to ceiling and he was overwhelmed with excitement. “I am inspired and so elated that 300 plus children will be receiving a gift this holiday,” said Christopher. “I am already planning for next year to be bigger!”
“In this season of gratitude, I am very grateful for Christopher’s coordination and thinking about all the families connected to TPC,” said Associate Director of ECI and Imagine Preschool Simmy Carter.