Friends of Youth Giving Tree spreading holiday cheer to more than 4,500 youth
Published 9:18 am Monday, December 21, 2015
The holiday season is underway and so is Friends of Youth’s Giving Tree. The Giving Tree program matches the holiday wishes of over 4,500 youth served by Friends of Youth with a generous community donor. Friends of Youth has hosted Giving Tree for over 20 years.
This year over 5,000 tags have been distributed, and the gifts are pouring in to a donated space in Redmond.
The Giving Tree assistant, returning for his second year on the team, is excited to again be helping with the Giving Tree project. A former client at Friends of Youth, he still wears the coat he was given through Giving Tree.
“Giving tree is an opportunity for every young person to have a personal gift this holiday season,” said Morgan Winkler, Friends of Youth Volunteer Manager. “We couldn’t do it without the amazing support of our community.”
There are 44 businesses, churches and organizations participating in Giving Tree. Microsoft alone hosted 3,500 Giving Tree tags. Barnes & Noble in Issaquah and University Village’s Winter Wishes program also provide gifts through their giving programs.
All of the gifts have been collected from the Giving Tree locations and sorted by program. On Dec.23 the gifts will be wrapped by staff and distributed to the youth in Friends of Youth’s programs, ensuring a happy holiday season for youth across our community.
Friends of Youth delivers a comprehensive range of therapeutic services for youth, young adults and families. With over 64 years of experience, national accreditation, 25 program sites, and services in 18 cities, the agency provides safe places to live and emotional support for youth and families in challenging circumstances. For more information, visit www.friendsofyouth.org.
