You can be a Santa to foster children

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, December 18, 2003

There is a special group of children and teenagers who may be overlooked at Christmas. That is why each year I devote a holiday column to ask readers to meet particular wishes.

Young clients from the Youthnet Foster Care Program were invited to send me letters to Santa. In this state, almost 11,000 children are in foster homes. Only a fourth are placed with their siblings.

Imagine spending Christmas without your brother or sister, probably without your parents or grandparents or even aunts and uncles. I’m sure most foster families do the best they can to make the holidays bright, but taking in foster children provides enough for basic support but not for additional gifts.

Let’s see what the children and teens in the foster care system would like to receive:

Dane, 4: "I would like a Jeep that I can ride in. A castle. A Buzz Lightyear space ship."

James, 6: "Hulk Hands with Electronic Sounds. Scooter. Skateboard. Heart pillow. Merry Christmas from James."

Cody, 15: "Dress watch, football, golf balls, comic books, posters, bean bag chair, country compact discs, tool set, electric guitar tuner, gift certificates, roller skates, tennis racket, scooter, magic set, glow-in-the-dark stars for a ceiling, globe, tackle box, work boots, foot bath/massage. And snow."

Ty, 6: "Please could I have a Neopet, skateboard and a heart pillow?"

Kyla, 6: "I would like a princess desk or a Princess Sing-Along Microphone. Thank you."

Marcus, 11: "What I want and need are: Legos, X-Men action figures, a trip to the Bahamas for my mom and dad, a portable CD player for my sister, Bratzs for my other sisters, Dora toys for my little sister; Nintendo Gamecube, a television and games, toy guns and swords, cool movies, skateboard, cool toys. PS: Please get tickets for my mom and dad."

Robbie, 2: "A fire truck I could ride on or a small bike with training wheels."

Matthew, 3: "A Power Wheels motorcycle and helmet, or a boy baby doll. I enjoy listening to music. I will leave you milk and cookies."

Amber, 10: "I hope everything is going great at the North Pole. School is going good for me. Bratz dolls, a laptop, Leap Frog, makeup, earrings, shoes, boots, rings, clothes, Polly Pocket, scooter, calendar. Merry Christmas."

Doug, 20 (homeless, in the Youthnet Independent Living Skills program): "I have desperately been looking for a job. Most of the jobs around here require reliable transportation. I have a truck that needs a few parts to get running again. I have friends who are paid mechanics. They said if I can get the parts they will install them for free. They estimated the parts to be around $75 at Schuck’s Auto Supply. A gift certificate would work awesome. Have a jolly Christmas. P.S., can I get 10 pounds of chocolate, too?"

Marissa, 16 (young mothers are also in the foster system): "My husband and I just welcomed our new baby boy. He is two-months old. I have noticed that he is very alert. He looks around and is starting to pay attention to what the world has to offer to him. And because of that very reason, I wish for my baby boy to get some books so I can read him to sleep and be a good mother. Just so when he’s older, I’ll be able to say, ‘I read to you when you were little.’ "

Krystine, 16: "I love to sing, dance, act, read and write poetry. I am part of the foster care system, but I don’t let that bring me down. I have messed up before, but now I’m doing things right. I am attending an alternative school. My goal is to graduate this year. I am hoping that I will be starting cosmetology school at college. What I am asking for is a new computer. I know that this may be a little much to ask for and all but the computer that I have right now is not reliable. It is crashing little by little and always booting me off. Right now it is a Macintosh, which is extremely old. My computer won’t let me get to the sites that I need in order to do my homework. Also, I am trying to do my senior paper that is quite hard to do with this old computer. I’m not asking for anything fancy, just something that I am able to rely on. I hope that I’m not asking for too much. Please help me have my wish come true. Thank you for your time."

The Youthnet Independent Living Skills program, which helps foster youths prepare for adult life, also has a wish list. They need: new clothing for work, school, and job interviews; school supplies, backpacks, grocery gift cards, phone cards, tickets for arts, culture and sporting events; watches, day planners, alarm clocks, accordion files, calculators and Christmas gifts for foster teens.

If you would like to play Santa and deliver any of the wishes, call 800-867-9598 or visit the Youth Opportunity Center at 3331 Broadway, Suite 1001, in Everett.

As we look forward to 2004, I’ll mention Youthnet’s biggest wish: Michelle Dietz-Date, Youthnet director of resource development, said they need more homes for foster children.

Can you open your house and heart?

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.