By: Emily Buckley, Editor in Chief
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, as your thoughts turn to giving, The Family Place has an exciting announcement: An anonymous donor is matching all financial gifts made to The Family Place now through December 25, 2019. The match will cap at $100,000.
“This is an incredible opportunity,” Dr. Sheryl Goodey, executive director of The Family Place, said. “Anyone who makes a donation can have their contribution doubled and make that much more of an impact.”
The Family Place is a nonprofit family support center that provides services to over 20,000 individuals each year, including over 38,000 hours of services in their Kid’s Place. Their services include therapy, trauma interventions, education, Kid’s Place emergency and respite childcare, and the Starfish Children’s Shelter, the only shelter for children in northern Utah.
“This generous donor recognized the prevention and treatment efforts provided to our community through The Family Place’s services,” Esterlee Molyneux, chief relationship officer, said. “We have had single parents without families nearby who have relied on us to care for their children when they had nowhere else to turn. We’ve had individuals who were minutes away from carrying out a suicide plan be able to immediately meet with one of our therapists, and we’ve educated thousands of individuals on topics such as parenting, trauma, child development, and abuse prevention to help families to have positive and healthy experiences and relationships.”
Supporters can make donations to The Family Place in person at any of their locations, online at TheFamilyPlaceUtah.org, or via mail to PO Box 6055, North Logan, UT 84341. Donations can also be made through Venmo by sending funds to the Family-Place. Individuals may also make stock donations. All donations are tax deductible.
One clever, interactive way to make a donation is at The Family Place’s new Giving Machine.
A vending machine wrapped to represent The Family Place has been filled with donation cards that represent a donation toward different programs the organization offers, valued from $1 to $100. Examples of cards that can be purchased in the machines are sports equipment, art supplies for art therapy, money to help purchase AED machines, or general funding for programs. After a donation is made the machine will dispense a card representing the donation, many of which were hand-drawn by children who are affiliated with The Family Place. These cards will serve as the donor’s receipt and can be kept as a memento.
“This is a fun way to make monetary giving tangible,” Esterlee said. “Parents can bring their children, church groups can come, someone even suggested that neighborhoods may want to forgo giving gifts and everyone could pitch in $10 or $15 to make a big impact that can be matched.”
The Giving Machine started at The Family Place in late October and will make stops at various local locations throughout the holiday season. Follow The Family Place on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for updates on where to find the machine.
