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Heartbeat Christmas Wish
Community Family Sponsorship Instructions for 2024
Click here for our Christmas Wish brochure
Thank you very much for adopting a Military Family.
You are now part of a great program designed to give back to our Military Families who have sacrificed for our country’s freedom. We know you will be blessed this holiday season.
Below are a few instructions and reminders to ensure that the program runs smoothly.
1. Please fill out the Community Family Sponsorship Form (link below) and submit it online. If you are interested in adopting multiple families, please complete one Community Family Sponsorship Form for each family and annotate that you are adopting multiple families.
While we cannot match families in a specific city or county, most of our Military Families are south in the Tacoma area.
We will begin matching families for our Christmas Wish℠ program in mid November and continue through mid December.
*** IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE WASHINGTON STATE **We are local for WA State wounded Warriors only. If you are out of state, I am sorry but we are not able to serve you with our programs. **
2. You will be emailed an information sheet that includes contact information and wish lists for the Military Family assigned to you. Within 2-3 days – Please contact the Military Family. “Contact” means you have actually spoken to a family member or you have corresponded by email and received a response. Once you have made contact, please contact Kendra at Info@heartbeatforwarriors.org to verify contact was made with your adopted Military Family. It is important you contact your Military Family before buying any gifts so they know that they have been adopted this year. If you have questions regarding any item on the Military Family’s wish list, please contact your assigned Military Family directly. If you are unable to reach your Military Family, please contact Kendra at Info@heartbeatforwarriors.org immediately. When calling your Military Family, please identify yourself and let them know you are adopting them through Heartbeat Serving Wounded Warriors®. You will need to schedule a day and time to deliver the gifts directly to them.
Thank you for making Christmas better for a wounded Warrior Military Family.
* If you have NOT adopted with us before: We are working with previously wounded and back in action, wounded and deployed – both single Warriors and families. Some of these Warriors have Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and have a little trouble remembering things. Please be patient. Please do not discuss politics or war with them. Please keep conversations upbeat as most of these brave Warriors have gone through a lot. Check in with your Military Family at any time and be sure to stay in contact with them to discuss their holiday plans as they may be traveling or not available on certain dates. When you meet up with your Military Family to deliver the gifts, please make it a neutral spot unless your Military Family asks otherwise.
3. Your Military Family’s information sheet should have sizes and interests listed for all the children in the family. The information should also specify whether the Military Family would prefer clothes or toys. This does not mean you can’t get both! This includes gifts for all members of the Military Family including Wounded warrior and spouse.
While you do not need to purchase everything on the Military Family’s wish lists, please expect to spend $65-$75 PER FAMILY MEMBER which includes the Warrior and the spouse. There is NO limit if you want to spend more! You may also add gift cards to a grocery store or a Visa gift card for the Military Family to buy Christmas dinner for their family, etc. Please do NOT provide any actual food products at all.
Please make sure the sizes (shoes, clothes, etc.) are exactly as the Military Family indicated on their wish list. This is especially true for large groups that adopt a Military Family. If you want to give more than what is listed, gift cards are wonderful or you can contact the Military Family to inquire about additional ideas. Thank you!
4. If you feel comfortable doing so, you are encouraged to include a personal note to the Military Family. You may include your return address if you are open to the Military Family contacting you, but it is not required. Your Military Family may or MAY NOT contact you, depending on their situation or personal choice. Please be sensitive to that.
5. If for some reason you are unable to fulfill your obligation to your Military Family, please contact Heartbeat immediately via email Janice@heartbeatforwarriors.org or by calling 425-931-1047.
6. Please confirm you received your Military Family information via email with Kendra Giersch, Christmas Wish Coordinator for the adoptions. Kendra will be emailing you the Military Family assigned to you.
7. Heartbeat will be in contact with you to make sure everything is running smoothly for both you and the Military Family assigned to you. If you are having trouble making contact with your Military Family, please contact Kendra Giersch by calling or texting 253-670-9734 or email to Info@heartbeatforwarriors.org OR Janice Buckley (Founder/President) at 425-931-1047 or email Janice@heartbeatforwarriors.org as soon as possible.
8. Before January 1st, 2025, please email the value of what you spent (this can be rounded off and we do NOT need receipts). As a nonprofit, we must account for all donations, which includes what you spend on the Military Family you adopt. Once we receive your totals, you will be sent a tax receipt! Our Federal Tax ID is #03-0547294.
Thank you very much for making a difference this Christmas! You are wonderful!
Merry Christmas!
