
Good Vibes Gift Drive 2024
Donation protected
Over the last five years, I have raised money to put together Christmas gift bags for 60 or so residents at my dad's assisted living facility in Salt Lake City, UT. My dad moved into the facility in 2018. For Christmas that year, I walked through the facility with my arms full of wrapped Christmas gifts for him as I tend to spoil him a bit for the holidays. I got some strange looks as I walked the halls and I couldn't help but feel guilty for some reason. I chatted with some of the employees on my way out and realized why. They informed me that most of the residents don't receive Christmas gifts. There are many types of residents there - old folks, younger residents, veterans, people with physical disabilities or mental illnesses. What they have in common is that most of them don't have active family members, and that's why Christmas gifts may be a rare item in the facility.
Since that experience, I have raised money every December to purchase, assemble, and deliver a gift bag for each resident at the facility, with the help of my amazing family and friends. I've raised almost $14,000 for the residents over the past five years and I'm excited to continue the gift drive for its sixth year! My fundraising goal is $3000, and if I can hit that goal, I am actually going to use $500 to support a second organization, Gemma Services. You can read more about it at the link below – but it’s a great organization near me in Philly and a few dozen kids will wake up in their facility on Christmas morning. I’d love to spend $500 to get them some gifts as well!
If you would like to support this gift drive, I would appreciate it very much. All donations, big and small, are meaningful and sharing this fundraiser is helpful as well. You are welcome to donate here or you can use Venmo if you'd like to avoid fees. You can Venmo me at @Liz-Smith-2321. 100% of the donations will go towards the gift drive.
Happy holidays and thank you for the support!
- Liz Smith
Organizer
Liz Smith
Organizer
Philadelphia, PA