What happens to the gifts when they leave headquarters?

For those of you that are wondering what happens once gifts are dropped off at Hillside Special Santa headquarters, here is an inside look at how volunteers fill the orders and then how they are distributed to the various programs/services. From there the gifts are given to the children and families.

Volunteers use the wish lists of each youth to fill orders.

Then those gifts are labeled with tags that correspond to the programs/services the youth is in/receiving.

And finally, Hillside staff members from the programs/services come to pick up the bagged gifts for transport to the youth and their families.

Local high schools’ efforts pay off in pennies for Hillside Special Santas

Several of the students that were integral in Batavia High School's winning effort in 98 PXY’s 2007 High School Challenge made the trip up to Hillside Special Santas headquarters Monday, December 17 to help 98 PXY's Kasper present the check for the $27,975.71 (just over 2.7 million pennies!) the contest raised to Hillside Special Santas in a special ceremony.

Three Rochester TV stations came out (See coverage from News 8 Now here and here).

One of the Batavia students, senior Annie Palermo (pictured here) told the story of how they raised a portion of their more than $8,600 donation by putting two teachers up on a roof and taking pledges to keep them up there.

"We had two of our teachers stand on the roof for 24 hours, or however long we could pay to keep them up there," said Annie.

The students estimated that to meet their fundraising goal for the event and to keep the teachers up on the roof the entire time, they needed to receive $120 in pledges an hour.

"We kept them up there for 24 hours, so we made, I think, over $3,000 on that," surmised Annie.

Also on hand were Family First Federal Credit Union's CEO Christine Peters (pictured here to Sally's left) and Director of Branch Operation Karin Allen (pictured here to Sally's right).

After the students from the participating high schools dropped off the pennies, Family First FCU counted them all. Thanks!

Sally also took an opportunity to thank all of the local high school students that participated in the contest. As she says in the video clip below, their efforts will really make this holiday season a very special one for the 5,600 youth and their families Hillside Special Santas is providing gifts to.

Hillside Special Santas a part of Time Warner Cable's 2007 Holiday Day of Giving

Hillside Special Santas and nine Rochester-area not-for-profit organizations were honored at a reception Monday, December 17 as part of Time Warner Cable’s Holiday Day of Giving.

The company divided a $25,000 donation equally among the 10 organizations, which support wide-spread initiatives throughout the community.

“The holidays are a period of giving, caring and helping those in need,” says Terence Rafferty Time Warner Cable Division president (pictured with Sally), adding “We have so many wonderful agencies and organizations in our community that help make a difference in people’s lives all year long, and Time Warner Cable is pleased to help support these agencies for the meaningful services they provide.”

The reception included a formal check presentation of $2,500 to a representative from each agency.

“Time Warner Cable’s efforts are reflective of that special quality that is shown when there are others in need,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager.

Organizations honored along with Hillside Family of Agencies included: City of Rochester Education Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester, Inc., The Salvation Army, Visiting Nurse Service/Meals on Wheels, Volunteers of America, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, ARC of Monroe, Mary Cariola Children’s Center, and the Pirate Toy Fund.

Culinary innovators give to Hillside Special Santas

Wegmans Culinary Innovation Center employees (left to right) Ken Schlageter, Christine Remington, and Cindi Gaesser presented a check for $500 from everyone at the Culinary Innovation Center to Sally and Hillside Special Santas on Monday, December 17.

We thank the Culinary Innovation Center so much for believing this holiday season!

Gamma Phi pitches in!

Members from the Rochester Alumni Chapter of Gamma Phi Beta sorority took some time to give back last week--volunteering at Hillside Special Santas headquarters.

How one elementary school is sharing the spirit of the season

Students in Gates-Chili’s Neil Armstrong Elementary School service club this year are orchestrating a school-wide toy collection drive to benefit Hillside Special Santas this year.

According to Danielle Hoch, fifth grade teacher and service club advisor, the students will be collecting toys until Thursday, December 13. The service club project supports The 40 Developmental Assets of student involvement in the community and the Gates Chili school district.

The students in the service club were in charge of making the posters to promote the toy drive, as well as collect the toys, and deliver them to Hillside Special Santas.

“The kids are super excited and are anticipating the drive’s turn out,” says Hoch, noting that as a community over 12 boxes of toys have been collected thus far with two more days to go.

The Neil Armstrong faculty also wanted to contribute, and as a result, Hoch says they have collected over three boxes of items from the Hillside Special Santas Top 10 list.

The students plan on delivering the gifts to Hillside Special Santas headquarters at 1183 Monroe Avenue in Rochester on Friday, December 14.

This year, Hillside Special Santas has expanded to help more than 5,600 children and their families served by Hillside Family of Agencies in Western and Central New York, so the donations could not have come at a better time.

“For the students to put forth such an effort is truly reflective of that special human quality that is shown when there are others in need,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager.

For more information on becoming a Hillside Special Santa like the members of the Neil Armstrong Elementary School’s service club, call (585) 256-7630, email santa@hillside.com, or follow the reindeer at www.hillside.com.

MNG update

Reports are coming in this morning that the "MNG" (Most Needed Gifts) at Hillside Special Santas this week are hoodies ("hooded sweatshirts" for those old enough to remember them being called that).

Click here to learn more.

Beanie Babies overtake Special Santas headquarters

Karen Daniel, of Pittsford, has been collecting Beanie Babies for a while. This year, she thought it would be a good time to donate what she has been collecting.
She wanted the toys to go to children who needed them. She learned of Hillside Special Santas through her employer, and the connection was made.
Today, she stopped by headquarters and delivered some of the beanies. She said she still has another delivery to make, but in total, she will donate 750 beanies to Hillside Special Santas this year.
Thanks so much for your efforts Karen!

Help us to meet the most requested gifts need

Hillside Special Santas staff members are hard at work making sure that all of the new, unwrapped gifts that have been donated this holiday season are making their way to the more than 5,600 children and their families that Hillside Family of Agencies serves.

However, Hillside Special Santas staff members are in need of some very special gifts that are in short supply that the children have asked for.

Believe it or not, the most in demand gift being asked for from Hillside Special Santas this week has been (click here to find out).

Help Hillside Special Santas fulfill the holiday wishes of many of the children that Hillside serves by donating the most needed gift of the week through Hillside Special Santas personal shopper tool or contact Hillside Special Santas for more on how to donate.

Thank you for your support of Hillside Special Santas and Happy Holidays!

Deloitte & Touche help out Hillside Special Santas

A great group of Deloitte & Touche employees from the firm's Rochester office stepped up and spent a good portion of the day volunteering. Thank you so much for your efforts!

Look who's volunteering at Special Santas headquarters

Monroe County Clerk Cheryl Dinolfo, second from the left, and some of her staff members (Justin Roj, far left; Diana Christodaro, second from the right) spent a morning volunteering at Hillside Special Santa headquarters. Joining them in this photo is our very own Sally Bohne.

Ready. Set. WRAP!

Everybody in Buffalo that likes to wrap presents should plan on joining Hillside Special Santas Holiday Partners WGRZ, 96.1 WJYE, First Niagara, the Buffalo Athletic Clubs, and the BAC for Women at the this year's Holiday Wrapping Party from 8:30 a.m. to Noon this Saturday, December 8, at the Walden Galleria Community Room.

For more information, check out this site.