Thanks for the $10 donation Linda Wright! I'm not even finding you as a member of the forums. Maybe you arrived here from our Facebook page. No matter how you found us your generosity is much appreciated and will be helping make some really needy kids a little more cheery on Christmas morning. Thank you so much!

Total is now $260. Who is next?

Hi Charles E. Cox, Jr.,

Thank you so much for helping buy Christmas presents for the kids at the Cleveland Christian Home! Hopefully you read my story and understand how much of a difference your generosity is going to make in their lives. Thank you!

Thanks Giselle! I received the $50 donation and have added it to our balance. I'm officially excited now. I love buying these gifts each year. I hope you feel good too. Where else can you make a donation that goes 100% to the intended recipient? I love doing this each year.

Thank you so much!

If you're interested in being a part of this but need a few more days to be able to send in a donation please make a post here.

State how much you plan to donate and I will spot you that amount. I really want to get these Christmas presents ordered in the next few days so that they arrive in time for the volunteers to wrap.

In other words if you plan to donate $10 make a post and say so. Then, when you are able to PayPal the $10 to me just go ahead and do so. I will buy $10 extra in Christmas presents even if your money hasn't arrived.

It is not too late to help so don't be shy. Just click the PayPal button and make a difference.

Chris, I'm planning to kick in $20, Paypal will not let me verify my account to do it. They even mailed me a letter with a code and it still wouldn't work.

I will get it to you, even if I have to send you a check.

Dexter, you can certainly mail a check. Make the check out to Chris O'Connor and mail to...

Chris O'Connor
PO Box 4624
Clearwater, FL 33758

I'll add $20 to the balance for you now.

I received the $20 donation, Dexter! Thank you very much.

So is that it or is there anyone else that wants in on this?

I just sent Maria Livers an email asking her for any specific Christmas gifts the kids have asked for so we can try to really make them happy.

Her response was...



I'll order everything soon.

Very cool that the kids want books to read...

I just placed the order for the Christmas gifts. The total spent was $419.10. (Invoice is attached below)

As you can see on the PDF attachment I ordered most items in groups of 3. There are usually 40 kids living at the Cleveland Christian Home at any given time so buying 1 of each only makes the volunteers job harder in deciding how to distribute the gifts. Maria had provided to me a list of items the kids had requested so I focused on those items.

Here is what we bought:

Tile Lock Scrabble (Total 3)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BH ... 00_details

How to Draw People (Dover How to Draw) [Paperback] (Total 3)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/048642 ... 01_details

Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter - Yellow (Total 1)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004A8 ... 02_details

Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter - Red (Total 1)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004A8 ... 03_details

Syma S107/S107G R/C Helicopter - BLUE (Total 1)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TV ... 04_details

The Candy Shop War [Paperback] (Total 3)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159038 ... 05_details

Fablehaven Complete Set (Boxed Set): Fablehaven; Rise of the Evening Star; Grip of the Shadow Plague; Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary; Keys to the Demon Prison [Paperback] (Total 3)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/144242 ... 06_details

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M6 ... 00_details
Markings by C.R. Gibson Brown Ruled Paper Bonded Leather Journal, Small

Pentel Arts Oil Pastels, 50 Color Set
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026S ... 00_details

Top Flight Sketch Pad, Heavy Back, 8.75 x 12-Inches, 50 Sheets
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003I8 ... 00_details

Strathmore 400 Series Pastel Pads 11 in. x 14 in. sheets pad of 24
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024K ... 00_details

SKLZ Pro Mini Basketball XL Hoop
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046S ... 00_details

Thanks to those of you that got involved this year. It means a lot to me personally. I mean that.

I feel fortunate to be a part of BookTalk.org and to have this resource available. If I had the means I would do so much more. But together we are doing a lot for those kids.

I was hesitant last year to share some of my story but to some extent it was therapeutic for me. Opening up last year gave me the strength to share a bit more this year.

There really isn't a way to summarize the sadness of living in a home for children that nobody really wants. My goal is not to make people feel bad but if I don't share the reality of what that institution is like for those kids then people just aren't going to donate. It is an awkward position to be in. My ultimate goal is to get some great gifts into their hands on Christmas morning and I think we all did that. So I appreciate your generosity more than words can express.

I know it is after Christmas, but will you do this again for 2012? I'll be happy to donate. Thanks for thinking of the kids. Aloha.

I think we will keep doing this. The kids are in need and Christmas comes every year so there is no reason to stop this program. I'll try to get the announcement up earlier this year so more people can donate and get involved.