Events and Fundraisers
Foster Children’s Give-a-Gift Program
The Sonoma County Medical Association Alliance Foundation is proud to have established its Foster Children’s Give-a-Gift Program in 1953 in response to a need of the underserved in our community. By coordinating directly with the Family, Youth and Children’s Division of the Human Services Department of Sonoma County, the Alliance has been able to provide an exact match of a holiday present desired for 265 Sonoma County youth in foster care.
This program benefits children of all ages in the foster care system that have been separated from their families at no fault of their own. This is particularly painful during the holidays. These are children who might otherwise not receive a holiday present. The separation and sense of loss these children experience during the holiday season is lessened due to the dedication of Alliance members and community volunteers and incredibly generous gift and cash donors to the Give-a-Gift program.
In 2007, we began to expand the program beyond the holiday season. We became aware of some of the issues facing the emancipated youth. At age 18, the foster child is “emancipated” from the state and receives reduced benefits and/or is no longer eligible for funds, which allow them to stay in a foster family or group home. We decided as an organization, due to the overwhelming generosity of our donors, the extra funds would go towards computers for college-bound emancipated youth. While in 2007 we donated four computers, we are very fortunate to be able to donate anywhere from 7-10 computers for the 2008 college-bound youth.
Support for the Give-a-Gift program can be done in various ways that best fit your needs:
Request to be matched to a specific child and purchase them a present or gift certificate. You will be matched according to gender and age. You will wrap and deliver the present to an Alliance volunteer.
Send a donation online or by check for the Alliance to purchase a gift, gift certificate, bicycle, or computer on your behalf.
Should you have any questions or would like to participate in the gift giving, please contact Shawn Devlin, Foster Children’s Give-a-Gift Program Co-Chair, at (707) 538-3448 or Lindsay Mazur, Co-Chair, at (707) 537-1617 or send an email to scmaagifts@yahoo.com.