How giving local can help you give kids a 'Hallmark' holiday

Megan Raposa -

This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.

Simplified: Family Visitation Center – a nonprofit committed to giving kids a safe, supervised place to visit with their parents – is one of dozens of local nonprofits using the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation's Giving Depot as a way to connect with donors this holiday season.

Why it matters

  • The Giving Depot is a virtual bulletin board where local nonprofits can share their needs. It's also an easy way for community members in Sioux Falls to connect with ways to give-back in a timely, intentional manner.
  • Dozens of nonprofits in town have already connected with donors through the Giving Depot, including Family Visitation Center.
  • Family Visitation Center is using the Giving Depot this winter as an outlet to share information about a special holiday goal: to gift every child it serves with a nice, hardcover copy of children's Christmas book, "The Polar Express." It's a goal they expect would cost $2,000 to accomplish, according to Director of Development Carol Woltjer.
"I've worked in the nonprofit world for over 50 years, and not everybody has a Hallmark Christmas," Woltjer said. "So, if you can give them that kind of Christmas, hopefully those memories can replace some of those not-so-Hallmark memories."

Tell me more about Family Visitation Center

Family Visitation Center works with families who need a safe, supervised space for parents to visit their children.

  • The nonprofit has several rooms set up similar to a living room with a couch, table, chairs, and, of course, toys.

Children who visit Family Visitation Center all receive gifts for their birthday and for Christmas – thanks to the generosity of donors, Director of Service Joleen Thompson said. The kids get to select their own gift from a room full of donated toys, and it's particularly special this time of year.

"You just see kids' hearts come out," Thompson said, adding that kids will often ask if they can take a toy home for a sibling.

In addition to those gifts, the center is looking to create a "Polar Express" theme throughout its facility – complete with train tracks, hot chocolate, marshmallows and the titular train itself.

  • To top it all off, Woltjer hopes they can gift every kid – about 165 in total – a brand new hardcover copy of the book. The idea is that families can read it together, and kids can take it home as a memento of a pleasant holiday spent with their parent.

Tell me more about The Giving Depot

It's a one-stop shop to learn about the various needs of nonprofits throughout the Sioux Falls community.

  • Eligible nonprofits can submit information through a form on the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation website.
  • Listings are updated frequently, and at any given time there are about 50 or 60 opportunities to give.

You can browse The Giving Depot here.

  • Then, when you find a need that resonates with you, simply click "how you can help," and you'll be directed to the organization's website with details on how to donate.
“The Giving Depot is full of good people doing great work, and at the Community Foundation, we want to make giving easy,” said Patrick Gale, vice president of community investment.

Gale noted there are hundreds of nonprofits in the Sioux Falls area. The Giving Depot provides not only a free way for them to share the good work they do, but a way for people to discover new opportunities to give.

“You never know what will spark someone’s interest,” Gale said.

Learn more here about Family Visitation Center and see how you can help the organization reach its "Polar Express" goal by making a donation.