Posted by Every year, we join KVC in their Holiday Heroes Program to adopt children in the foster system for gifts. This program is a way for individuals and businesses to work together to make the holidays brighter for children and teens involved in the foster care system. You can see our very first blog post mentioning this all the way back in 2011. (To see our stories about KVC over the years, click here.)
As we get older, we often find ourselves having all the “stuff” we need. So why not buy gifts for kids that find themselves in a tough situation and could use a smile (or multiple smiles) during the holidays? If you or your company would like to get involved in this program, you can still donate money and items, or you could make a note on your calendar in October 2025 with this link: kansas.kvc.org/get-involved/holiday-giving
The format has changed a lot over the years.
Before the pandemic, we would all meet at a local Target or Walmart to do our shopping. We would break up into teams and run all over the store picking fun and creative gifts for the kids. (KVC provides information for each child like clothing sizes, gift wishes from the kids, favorite colors, etc.) Once we had all the presents gathered and bought, we put them into a drawstring bag with their name taped outside (and inside as a backup!) That way, all the gifts for each child stay organized and connected to the appropriate child for delivery.
Once we were done with the shopping (and trying to get a massive amount of gift receipts printed) we would head to dinner together. We would be tired from all the shopping and organizing and we were ready to eat! It was a great team building evening for sure.
Now, we shop virtually together in a Zoom call.
After the pandemic, we had to shop virtually… but we weren’t going to let that stop us! We moved to online shopping from Amazon, Old Navy, Target, Walmart and more. Everyone gets the presents for their kids delivered to their house and organized, and then we get all the presents to KVC for them to finalize for delivery to the kids. It is a well oiled machine… and a lot of fun.
This year, we asked to be Holiday Heroes for ten kids. If you are curious what the shopping lists look like, here is an example:
The Joy of the Season
We are thrilled to support KVC in their efforts to make children happy during the holidays. We get so much joy from doing this and we know we’re making a difference by giving gifts to KVC children. It becomes a great team building opportunity as well, so we encourage you to consider doing this at your company next year… you will love it! If you find yourself needing a pick-me-up this holiday season, there is no better cure than giving gifts to people, especially people that really need things like warm socks, a new doll, arts and crafts supplies, bluetooth ear buds and KC Chiefs hats!
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