Get involved

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.  

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.”  

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. 

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.

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.

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… 

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.  

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. 

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.  

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