Bring Christmas to kids in foster care with one easy stop
Dec. 2, 2021
This paid piece is sponsored by Central Bank.
The number to remember is 125.
That’s how many 12- through 17-year-olds in Sioux Falls currently are part of the foster care system.
They don’t all live in traditional foster homes. Some will spend the holiday season in treatment centers or group homes.
But if a fundraising goal is met, all 125 teens will receive a gift card for Christmas. And when you donate to the effort, Central Bank will match your amount.
Angel Metzger discovered the need last year, prompted by a phone call from the Department of Social Services.
“They as a state agency are not able to do a Christmas tree and ask for gifts for foster kids,” said Metzger, compassion director for Ransom Church.
So she connected with The Community Outreach, which coordinates the Sharing Christmas program along with Center of Hope. Central Church and several businesses joined in. The effort, which collects donated gifts to support vulnerable families, expanded to invite families of foster children to “shop” for the kids on the first and last day of the Sharing Christmas store.
But that didn’t cover everyone.
“Teens in the foster care system don’t want toys, and a lot are not in a home,” Metzger explained.
So last year, she reached out to longtime friend Keith Portner, senior vice president at Central Bank, to see if the bank could help.
“I knew they were a family-owned local bank, and I wondered if they would be interested in supporting foster teens,” Metzger said. “They got on board right away.”
On short notice, the bank helped meet and then beat the fundraising goal last year.
“This was an impactful, immediate way we could give back to our community, and we knew we wanted to be part of it right away,” Portner said. “Our team really enjoyed being able to directly support teens in our community by giving them a gift card to ensure they received exactly what they would like for Christmas.”
This year, you can be part of the effort by stopping into any Central Bank Sioux Falls branch and donating, or you can mail your donation before Dec. 10. Note “Sharing Christmas” on the memo line.
Central Bank locations are open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays at:
- 4900 S. Western Ave.
- 2104 W. 12th St.
- 2500 S. Minnesota Ave.
Remember, the deadline for the fundraising match is Dec. 10.
If enough funds are raised for all teens in foster care, gifts cards then will be given to families who take in foster children around Christmas.
“Our Sharing Christmas store will be done by then, so this way we can support them as well,” Metzger said. “What I love is that we took an idea and because we care about collaboration everyone gets to be part of it. The kids in the foster system and even the parents feel the support that exists for them in this community.”
If you’d like to donate a gift for the Sharing Christmas store, those can be dropped off at the Center of Hope or The Community Outreach locations on the Empower Sioux Falls campus at 1905 E. Eighth St. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. The deadline for those donations is Monday.
“We encourage our community to join with us in this important effort,” Portner said. “It’s absolutely what the spirit of the season is all about, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
