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From the queen's desk
 Have you ever received one of those greeting cards that play music when you opened it? I wish this newsletter could do that! You'd be hearing the "Celebration" song right now, because the Elves are certainly CELEBRATING!
The Family Giving Tree's 2013 Holiday Wish Drive was our most successful to date. With your help, we fulfilled the wishes of 68,400 of our neediest neighbors! Have you seen the pictures?  This year, we saw the comeback of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the emergence of pink Lego's. Regardless of trends in the toy industry, what matters most are the touching stories we've heard from the children enjoying what they wished for, filled with joy and happiness.
Issac, a child with special needs, wished for a scooter. Through the Family Giving Tree's Holiday Wish Drive, Issac received a brand new scooter with a helmet and pads. He rides his new scooter every day! As a child on the Autism spectrum, Issac struggles daily to communicate with his friends and family. His new scooter has provided him, not only a fun way to get exercise, but an amazing topic to talk about for many months to come.
 I'm so thankful to have a small part in providing this opportunity to the many children we serve each year.
Good thoughts and gratitude for all,
Jennifer
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Holiday wish drive hosts, sponsors recognized
SanDisk led the way and was our presenting sponsor for the 2013 Holiday Wish Drive for a sixth year. Their constant support, along with the support of all our sponsors, allows us to really make a positive impact in the lives of the families we help during the holidays.
In addition to being our presenting sponsor, SanDisk also piloted a new on-site activity that involves turning a conference room into a miniature version of our Holiday Warehouse where participants helped nearly 1,000 children!
 Creativity was abundant in this season of giving. Texas Instruments organized their Executive Shopping Sprees. For every gift purchased, the executives had various gift matching incentives.
A particularly memorable Spree involved an executive who, in addition to her designated carts, bought all of the pre-shopping items that were pulled. Their generosity meant lots of warm winter jackets for children in need.
A huge thank you, again, to all of our sponsors; we wouldn't be able to make the positive impact in the community without your support!
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And the winners are...
These groups took leading a Holiday Wish Drive to new heights this year, and we're proud to celebrate their award-winning accomplishments!
Most Wishes Fulfilled:
(by company size)
- Wells Fargo
- Apple, Inc
- Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
- LinkedIn
- Intuit
- Jamba Juice
- Walmart.com
- InfoBlox
- Comtel Systems Technology
- Avalon Bay Communities
Largest Increase:
(by company size)
- Apple, Inc.
- NetApp
- Infinera Corp
- Fujitsu
- Jensen Landscape Services
- URS Corporation - San Jose
Highest Participation
(among schools)
- Leland High School
- Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School
- Stratford School - San Jose
- Transfiguration Nursery School
How are these companies motivating employees to participate? Here are just a couple of the stories shared on our Family Giving Tree Host Group on Facebook:
- Infoblox Manager, Christine, helped to raise $3825 by promising to dress in her elf costume, including elf shoes and ears, for their staff training if her team met their donation goal of $3000!
- Intuit kicked off their Holiday Wish Drive with a special Thanksgiving Dinner for employees. Wish cards were available to take and prizes were won at this great start to a season of giving!
Thanks to everyone for their efforts in motivating such a successful drive this season! We look forward to working with you in the near future.
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more than 14,000 hours donated!
 It's impossible to imagine the Holiday Wish Drive's success without putting into perspective the magnitude of people-power involved. The Family Giving Tree relies heavily on the dedicated time our volunteers donate in the office completing prep work, and in the warehouse sorting through truck loads of gifts.
This season, we welcomed more than 6,200 volunteers through our doors, totaling over 14,000 hours of essential work!
 Interested in learning more about how you can get involved? Contact our Volunteer Outreach Coordinator at volunteers@familygivingtree.org |
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Double your gift: Request a Matching Gift!
As a donor, you may have the opportunity to double your gift, which in turn doubles the impact you make on the children we help!
If your company has a matching gift program, please submit the necessary forms or online request. If you are unsure if your company has a matching gift program, ask your HR or Benefits department. One matching gift may seem small, but the accumulation of these gifts make a huge impact! If you have any questions about matching gifts, contact the Development Elves at development@familygivingtree.org or call (408) 946-3111 Ext. 224. |
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