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Christmas Appeal

I don’t think Santa will bring me any presents this year, he won’t remember me, no one cares about me.

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Will you please make a donation to help us make Christmas magical for families who are doing it tough?

For most of us, Christmas is a time of joy and celebration. We spend months and days preparing for the festive season, shopping for gifts, preparing food, and enjoying Christmas traditions with family and friends.  

Christmas is a magical time of the year, and most of us look forward to it. However, this couldn’t be further from reality for many families. Hundreds of families struggle to make Christmas a special time as they face the difficulty of making ends meet.  

Three years of a pandemic and a year marred by floods haven’t made it any easier, and the cost of living is hurting many. Right now, families are finding it even more difficult to put food on the table and pay bills, let alone put gifts under the Christmas tree.  

Your generosity in the past is greatly appreciated, please can you help us spread some Christmas cheer by making a donation to our end-of-year appeal? We need your help to raise $24,000 so we can deliver gifts to every child and young person supported by OzChild.

No parent or carer wants to see their child sad or to feel forgotten about on Christmas Day, and they shouldn’t have to hear the heartbreaking words of a child echoing, “no one cares about me.”  

Mother supporting distressed daughter

Last year 12-year-old Aisha* thought no one cared about her and Santa wouldn’t bring her any presents. Things have not been easy for Aisha, when she was just six years old her mum passed away in harrowing circumstances, and with no immediate family to care for her, she was placed in foster care.  

Prior to being placed with OzChild carers Carlie* and Eric*, six years ago Aisha had lived in nine different foster care placements. Now, at just 12 years old due to her placement history and traumatic background, she had very little trust in adults. All those years living with grief and loss and the lack of a stable family environment made her feel like she was all alone in the world.  

A 12-year-old child should not feel such powerful feelings of abandonment; they should be feeling happy, carefree, and excited about Christmas. 

Help us spread the true magic of Christmas.

Your donation today could make it possible for us to deliver presents to children in our programs, and food hampers to families who might otherwise go without. Your donation will show families there are people who care.

The generosity of OzChild supporters meant Aisha received a special Christmas gift last year. You couldn’t imagine her delight when she woke up Christmas morning and unwrapped the Lego set she so desperately wanted. She couldn’t believe it; Santa did remember her after all.

“You couldn’t wipe the smile off her face, she was lost for words when I told her Santa did care about her,”

Carlie, OzChild Foster Carer

Nothing brings more joy to a parent or carer than seeing their child happy at Christmas time. This Christmas you can help us bring a smile to the face of children like Aisha by making a donation that is truly worthwhile.

Please, could you give a gift of $35, $55, or even $115 today?We need your help to raise $24,000 so we can deliver gifts to every child and young person supported by OzChild. We’d really hate to see anyone miss out.

Every donation you make would help us buy gifts and bring great joy to children and families.  

For $35 we can fill a child’s Christmas stocking with treats and small toys, a $55 donation could cover the cost of a gift card, a thoughtful gift to help carers buy something special for a teenager. A $115 donation would help us purchase a beautiful food hamper filled with treats and food staples for a family struggling with the cost of Christmas.  

For children and young people spending Christmas with their foster family can bring up a lot of feelings of loss and abandonment, so ensuring a child feels like they belong at this special time of year is so important.  

While receiving a gift on Christmas Day is exciting for a child, there is a deeper meaning. Having a gift with their name on it, something just for them delivers a sense of belonging and shows how much they are loved and cared about. 

OzChild Carer Support Worker, Sally knows only too well how much a delivery of gifts, or a hamper can mean to a family who are doing it tough. Sally has seen the joy firsthand… 

At OzChild our goal is to relieve the pressure of financial hardship that is felt by so many families at Christmas time. Last year, donations helped us deliver more than 800 gifts to the doorstep of every child, young person, and family who was being supported by OzChild. Believe me, these deliveries mean more than you will ever know.

On any given night more than 550 children and young people are being supported by OzChild carers in safe and loving homes. Hundreds more children are part of families who are currently participating in one of OzChild’s 23 programs and services aimed at preventing children from entering foster care.  

A donation to our end-of-year appeal will mean enough gifts and hampers could be purchased, giving hope to the many hundreds of children and families we know who are doing it tough. 

While ensuring every child and young person feels safe and supported to reach their full potential is at the core of everything we do, bringing a smile to their faces on Christmas Day is something we take very seriously. But we can’t do it alone, we need your help to show children and families the true spirit of Christmas we all know.  

Be the reason for a child’s smile, the reason they feel loved and part of something special.

So, this festive season, we ask you to please include ‘a Gift to OzChild’ on your Christmas to-do list. There are so many children and young people who would truly appreciate your support.  

There is no better time than Christmas to spread the joy of giving. Your kind gesture will make a big difference to children and families. 

Make a donation today and help us bring the joy of the Christmas season into the homes of many.

Please call us today on 03 9695 2237 to donate over the phone or visit our website, www.ozchild.org.au to donate securely online. 

 We really hope you can help.  

 Together we can make Christmas wishes come true.  

P.S. Please give your gift by 14 December so we have time to put the presents on Santa’s sleigh. Thank you so much for caring as much as you do, your support really means the world to me.

*names have been changed to protect the identity of the families we support

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Make a real difference to the life of a child in need this Christmas.

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