Thanks to your generosity, Hillside Special Santas once again met its goal of providing three gifts per youth and additional items to our families in need. “We distributed $27,500 worth of grocery gift cards,” says Manager of Community Relations Heather VanDyne. “We were able to give a card to every family that requested one.”

Our Hillside Special Santas gave more than gifts and financial support. “Two hundred volunteers logged more than 900 hours,” Heather says. “That includes everything from picking up donations at our community partner locations, to staffing Hillside Special Santas headquarters and packing thousands of gifts for our youth.”

We are also grateful to our community partners who helped to make the campaign a success by promoting the campaign and collecting donations. Our full list of partners can be found on our Hillside Special Santas regional pages:

In the Buffalo area: www.hillside.com/SpecialSantasBuffalo.aspx

In the Rochester area: www.hillside.com/SpecialSantasRochester.aspx

In the Syracuse area:  www.hillside.com/SpecialSantasSyracuse.aspx

“Our community’s generosity never ceases to amaze me,” Heather says. “The economy is tough and has been for some time now, but Hillside Special Santas still has a huge community response. We are extremely fortunate.”

Heather encourages donors and volunteers who enjoyed participating in Hillside Special Santas to stay with Hillside for other opportunities. “There are so many ways to make a difference for our youth and families. If Hillside Special Santas was your first experience with us, we would love to talk with you about other roles you will enjoy.” For more information about becoming involved at Hillside, contact Heather at (585) 256-7543 or hvandyne@hillside.com.