Please invite your colleagues, family and friends to participate in providing much-needed holiday assistance to the DC community! This year, the Capital Chapter will be partnering with Bright Beginnings, Safe Shores, and N Street Village for our holiday giving program. Use these links to learn more about each organization and review the participation details, then use sign-up button to let us know which organizations your firm would like to support this year and get started!
Wishlist FAQ's (for Bright Beginnings & Safe Shores)
N Street Village Gifts for Mom
Bright Beginnings
149 Wish Lists Available!
Bright Beginnings is a nationally accredited child development center that offers a bright start for homeless infants, toddlers and preschoolers and their families. Bright Beginnings serves 162 children annually whose families are living in crisis shelters or transitional housing.
For most of us, the love of family and home warms long, cold winter nights. However, for many families in the District—including hundreds of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers—there is love, but no warm, comforting home. Instead, “home" is a crowded room in a shelter where uncertainty, fear and violence stalk the halls. These children are too young to understand or to ask "why," but they deserve our help. Your support can help make the holidays a truly joyful time for these children!
Safe Shores
100 Wish Lists Available!
Safe Shores is dedicated to supporting and working with child victims of sexual and physical abuse. Safe Shores coordinates a multidisciplinary team approach to abuse by handling everything from forensic services to family advocacy.
Every year, Safe Shores partners with individual volunteers, donors and community organizations to provide child victims of abuse with new clothing and toys for the holiday season. By sponsoring and shopping for gifts on a child’s wish list, you can help ensure that children affected by abuse and violence will have an extra special holiday!
Safe Shores Wrapping Parties
Looking for a little hands-on holiday cheer? Safe Shores hosts several wrapping parties in December. The Capital Chapter will be sponsoring the Tuesday, December 5th party from 6 to 8 pm - we will have 10 spaces reserved at this party for ALACC members. Additionally, you can sign up independently to attend wrapping parties on Saturday, December 9th from 10 am to 12 pm or Wednesday, December 13th from 6 pm to 8 pm. Additional information and registration links will be available in late November.
Bright Beginnings & Safe Shores Wish List FAQ's
How much should I expect to spend on each child?
Holiday Giving sponsors usually spend between $150 and $200 per wish list.
How should I package my gifts?
Please place unwrapped gifts in a plastic bag (choose a bag size appropriate to the size of your gifts - there are no standard size requirements). Write the child's name and wish list number on an index card and place it inside the bag before sealing it.
Looking for bags and ties? Try these bags and these zip ties, recommended by a member who participated last year.
What is the deadline for gift drop-off?
Please make arrangements to deliver your gifts to Bright Beginnings between December 4th and December 12th:
The Perry School Community Center
128 M. St NW Washington, DC 20001
Please make arrangements to deliver your gifts to Safe Shores between November 27th and December 1st:
429 O Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001
Please schedule your drop-offs Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5:30 pm
N Street Village Gifts for Moms
N Street Village, founded in 1972, is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers a safe, empowering community for women facing homelessness, poverty and related challenges. N Street Village serves women, many who face mental illness, addiction, and chronic health problems.
While the holidays are a joyful time, they can also be very stressful for N Street Village clients, and the pressure to provide gifts for their children or grandchildren makes for more tension. You can help to ease that stress for a woman in need and help make the holidays happy for her family by donating a gift card to empower her to purchase the perfect gift!
To Make Your Donation:
Purchase a $25 gift card to one of the following stores (please keep the activation receipt attached to the card):
- Amazon
- CVS
- Safeway
- Giant
- Target
- Walmart
You can either send your gift card(s) via courier to Chapter Headquarters by November 30th, or drop them off a the Annual Meeting Holiday Lunch on December 6th.
For security purposes. we request that you not send gift cards through the mail.
Drop off or courier gift cards to:
ALA Capital Chapter
Attn: Jessie Davis
1030 15th Street NW
Suite 400 East Tower
Washington, DC 20005
Ready to Get Involved? Use this button to let our Community Services team know which organization(s) you'd like to support this holiday season!
