Children's Holiday Party

Dear Friends,

Every year the Alexandria Office on Women organizes a Holiday Party for children and their mothers, who have been recently served by our Domestic Violence Program. At the party, the families can reunite with past shelter friends and staff, eat, take pictures with Santa Claus, and sing holiday carols, among other events. Each mother and child also receives a bag of gifts, to place under their tree.

Over one hundred families look forward to this exciting event annually, and our community's generosity is what makes it such a success.Thanks to everyone who contributed to the party last year, you contributed again to a very successful event and made many children happy! Our 2006 annual party is scheduled for Thursday, December 14th.

We do hope you'll once again think of our families this holiday season and bring a little extra joy into a child's life. The Alexandria Office on Women will be accepting donations at its office (421 King Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA) Monday through Friday from 8am - 5pm beginning Monday, November 27th Tuesday, through Tuesday, December 12, 2006. The deadline for having unwrapped gifts delivered or picked up is Tuesday, December 12, 2006 by 5pm. We are asking that donated gifts remain unwrapped. We will provide each mother with wrapping paper to personalize each gift. There is no need to attach a gender/age label, unless it is unclear from the packaging. In lieu of gifts for the mothers, we are requesting gift certificates to area stores in denominations of $25 (i.e. Target, Hecht's, Sears, local malls, Safeway, etc.). This way each woman will have the freedom to purchase something special for herself befitting her own needs. If you need help deciding what to purchase or if you already know what and how many gifts you are planning to furnish, please call Shirley or Betsy at 703.838.4911. We would be happy to help you in any way we can in this process. Thank you so very much for helping to make this a great holiday season in the eyes of our children.

Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner, a law firm in Washington DC, collected new toys and gift cards for the moms and children who have been residents of the battered women's shelter. More than 60 families attended the annual party last week.