Hillside Special Santas

It's never too early to start planning for Hillside Special Santas!

2009-09-30T13:47:00.002-04:00

Well, it’s that time of year again: time to begin the preparations before the 2009 Holiday Season. We at Hillside Special Santas cherish the early Fall months, when we still have a moment to breathe before the Holiday rush sets in. We’ve been busy connecting with donors and volunteers, setting up our *new* Hillside Special Santas Headquarters, and most importantly, gathering gift wish requests from over 6,000 youth enrolled in services with Hillside Family of Agencies.

Our numbers are higher than ever this year at Hillside Special Santas: we are expecting to provide 3 new gifts a piece for 4,200 youth in the Rochester area, 700 youth in the Buffalo region, and 1,100 youth in the Syracuse area. In total, that adds up to a lofty goal of 18,000 gifts! In addition, we hope to supply each family receiving gifts with a modest grocery gift card, to help round out a holiday meal.

Hillside Special Santas cannot reach this goal without you. We have already received calls from several gracious individuals, office groups, and organizations, asking how they can help this holiday season. We encourage you to plan ahead, and give us a call at (585) 256-7630 to set up your donation to Hillside Special Santas. You can also follow the reindeer at www.Hillside.com to read about more ways to give.

A Holiday message to our Hillside Special Santas

2008-12-25T07:00:00.007-05:00

Because of our many Hillside Special Santas within the Hillside Family of Agencies communities, more than 5,900 children and families are celebrating their holidays with toys, warm clothing, books, dolls, and games. Teens are enjoying their music, jewelry, books & journals, hoodies, hats & gloves and colognes. Families are thrilled with their grocery gift cards and we were thrilled with cash donations to purchase what was needed most.

You are the Hillside Special Santa who made it all happen, whether through the donation of a gift or gifts, volunteering your time, or organizing your office, scout, school or community group to participate. To you, we thank you more than we could ever say.

We also thank our many Hillside Special Santa Community Partners who we provided gift collection boxes and gift wish tags in close to 100 locations throughout Western and Central New York. Our Hillside Special Santa media partners provided creative messages about our kids and how to get involved. Thank you.

What a happy day for our children and families, and you too. Be happy today because you have done a wonderful thing for a child or family who you will never know, but they know you. You are their Hillside Special Santa. Feel good!

Happy holidays to you and your family from all of us here at Hillside Family of Agencies.

Realtors make a difference

2008-12-24T07:00:00.005-05:00

For the past several years, the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors (GRAR) and their Holiday Party Task Force have put on a holiday party for the organization’s members. The Holiday Party Task Force is made up of volunteers that plan the event and work to sell tickets to the organization’s members.

Through a message on each ticket, the Task Force asks each ticket buyer to bring a new, unwrapped gift to the event for Hillside Special Santas.

“We have a tremendous group of volunteers that make up the Holiday Party Task Force. I have been involved over the last several years and we usually average 200 gifts at our event. It is a tremendous sight to see the table expand with gifts as the Realtors enter the event,” says John Antetomaso, Re/Max Plus Realtor and GRAR member.

As in past years, Hillside Special Santas Director Sally Bohne attended this year’s event.

“Sally has become a great friend of our event,” says John.

He adds that the party and the gift donations are just another way that Realtors in the Rochester area make a difference in the community.

“If you ask any of us, we are so happy to do it,” says John.The children and families that benefit from the gifts the Realtors donated to Hillside Special Santas are also happy because the simple act of donating a gift has helped to make their holiday brighter.

Bright Spot shines on Hillside Special Santas

2008-12-23T07:42:00.005-05:00

Hillside Special Santas was featured in the Bright Spot during the 6:00 p.m. newscast on 13 WHAM TV on December 19. Here is a link to the clip which features the kids from Neil Armstrong Elementary School's Service Club, volunteers from Xerox, and Santa Claus himself.

http://tinyurl.com/6vuwq3

Word is, Santa made the trip to Hillside Special Santas Rochester Region Headquarters on a motorcycle. There may be pictures. Check back soon!

Hillside Special Santas is in need of...

2008-12-22T13:11:00.005-05:00

Hillside Special Santas has just a few more days to fulfill the holiday wishes of the 5,900 youth form over 4,000 families Hillside Family of Agencies serves.

In order to meet the program's gift goal, Hillside Special Santas really needs online donations.

It's a simple, and yet very effect way to make a difference this holiday.

Log on to http://www.hillside.com and follow the reindeer to the Hillside Special Santas section of the site. Click on the "Donate Online" link to access the online donation page.

Each donation helps to make the holidays brighter for the youth and families Hillside serves.

Time’s running out to become a Hillside Special Santa

2008-12-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

Don’t miss a chance to make the holidays brighter for a child in need this year.

With only a short time remaining to collect gifts this holiday season, Hillside Special Santas is asking anyone who has not donated a gift to consider doing so. That’s because the program’s goal is to collect more than 17,700 gifts for 5,900 youth from 4,000 families across New York.

“That is a lot of gifts. But, most people would be surprised at how even the smallest gift will help us meet out goal this year,” said Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas director.

Bohne notes that Hillside Special Santas asks for new, unwrapped gifts that cost less than $25.

“We have several gifts that are requested more often than others. The issue is that as we fill more requests and get closer to the end of this year’s collection campaign, we are running low on those gifts,” said Bohne.

The most requested gifts that Hillside Special Santas is still in need of include: hats, gloves, scarves, and socks; gift and food cards; hoodies for teens and all ages; arts and crafts (moon sand, jewelry, and art supplies); games–both electronic and board games; duffel or sports bags; basketballs, footballs, and fishing poles; toiletries, lotions, and make-up kits; sports watches for girls and guys; new books for all ages–babies through teens; and learning toys for babies, tots, and kids.

For information on specific gift needs and where to drop off last-minute donations in your area, call (585) 256-7630, (716) 848-6416, or (315) 258-2191.

Donations can also be made online by following the reindeer at http://www.hillside.com.

One week left!

2008-12-10T15:54:00.005-05:00

That's right, we're down to the final stretch in this year's Hillside Special Santas campaign. December 17 is the last day to drop gifts off at our Community Partner locations this year.

Hillside Special Santas is still in need of our most requested gifts, such as hoodies, winter attire (gloves, hats, mittens, etc.), sports supplies (basketballs, footballs, etc.), and gift cards.

Here's a story from Community Partner News 10 Now that talks a little more about the effort this year in Syracuse and the surrounding communities in the final days of this year's campaign.

http://tinyurl.com/6qvxsk

Hillside Special Santas hits 100!

2008-12-02T12:44:00.006-05:00

Hillside Special Santas has hit 100 drop off locations for the first time in its storied history.

Thanks go out to all of the Community Partners that have made this milestone possible.

Your support of Hillside Special Santas is truly a gift to all of the children and families that are helped through the donations dropped off by caring members of the community at your locations.

Holiday spirit drives Hillside Special Santas deposits up this year

2008-11-25T16:30:00.001-05:00

This holiday season, the spirit of giving is driving the number of Hillside Special Santa gift deposits at all Canandaigua National Bank & Trust branches up.

That is good news, because Hillside Special Santas this year will help more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families across New York served by Hillside Family of Agencies.

Hillside Special Santas is working to meet this gift goal by partnering with businesses and organizations to extend the opportunity to those in the community to help make the holidays brighter for youth and families.

As Hillside Special Santas Community Partners, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust branches will display hundreds of Hillside Special Santas gift tags, each one describing a specific child’s wish, this year on holiday trees in their lobbies. Visitors to the any of the bank branches are asked to take a tag from the tree home and purchase a corresponding gift. New, unwrapped gifts should be deposited by December 17 to the Canandaigua National Bank & Trust location where they picked up the gift tag.

“The partnership with Canandaigua National Bank has been a true gift. It is a unique opportunity to focus on each organization’s commitment to building a positive spirit throughout the community,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas director.

Last year alone, more than 1,400 gifts for Hillside Special Santas were deposited at Canandaigua National Bank branches.

What one person knows about Hillside and Hillside Special Santas

2008-11-25T14:09:00.002-05:00

We just wanted to share with all of the Hillside Special Santas blog readers a comment that came into Hillside Family of Agencies via a question on the homepage asking “What do you know about Hillside?”

“I have heard about Hillside for years, but never really had any personal experience or contact. Recently, I was in Honeoye Falls at Custom BrewCrafters and saw a Christmas tree with children's names on it. Once I realized what it was, I took two cards from the tree. I'm looking forward to making purchases to make Christmas memorable and special for these little ones. What a great idea this is and I'm grateful for organizations like Hillside who take the time and effort to make Christmas and the holidays something more for kids than "just another day. Thank you.”

The cards this person took were Hillside Special Santas gift tags that our community partner Custom Brewcrafters displayed in their lobby. We thank them and this anonymous respondent for their efforts in helping to make the holiday brighter for the children and families Hillside serves.

Stories and photos from Novemeber 19 event

2008-11-20T13:58:00.014-05:00

Here a couple of links to news stories on RNews and News 8 Now about the event held on November 19 to celebrate the start of Hillside Special Santas for the 27th year.

RNews: http://tinyurl.com/5azsa4

News 8 Now: http://tinyurl.com/6owho4

Also, here are some photos from the event. As you'll see from the news coverage, Fourth and Fifth graders from Gates-Chili's Neil Armstrong Elementary School service club came and served as "gift experts." They made the event fun, and helped us all to remember what Hillside Special Santas is all about.

Drive in and help out this holiday season

2008-11-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

This holiday season, people that drive in to Driver’s Village will be able to help out youth and families throughout the community.

As a Hillside Special Santas Community Partner, Driver’s Village will display hundreds of Hillside Special Santas gift tags-each one describing a specific child’s wish-this year in the center of the inside shoppes. Visitors to Driver’s Village are asked to take a tag home after their visit, and purchase a corresponding gift. New, unwrapped gifts should be returned by December 13 to Driver’s Village.

This is the first year that Driver's Village is a Hillside Special Santas Community Partner, and Hillside Special Santas Director Sally Bohne says their participation is “truly a gift.”

“Driver's Village shows true dedication to youth and families by the simple act of making Hillside Special Santas gift tags available to the many people that visit their location," says Bohne.

Donations to Hillside Special Santas dropped off at Driver’s Village will benefit more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families served by Hillside Family of Agencies, including hundreds of youth and families from Syracuse and the surrounding communities.

Holiday giving does a body good

2008-11-19T16:00:00.001-05:00

This holiday season, the Buffalo Athletic Clubs are not just places where people can get in shape. They’re also places where people can do their bodies good by giving back to the community.

As Hillside Special Santas Community Partners, the Buffalo Athletic Club (BAC) will display hundreds of Hillside Special Santas gift tags, each one describing a specific child’s wish, this year in their lobbies. BAC patrons and visitors to any of the BAC locations are asked to take a tag home after a workout, and purchase a corresponding gift. New, unwrapped gifts should be returned by December 17 to the BAC location where they picked up the gift tag.

Hillside Special Santas Director Sally Bohne veiws the three-year partnership with the BAC as a unique opportunity to focus on each organization’s commitment to healthy living, wellness, and working to build a positive spirit throughout the community.

Last year alone, patrons that came to the BAC helped to collect more than 700 gifts for Hillside Special Santas. This holiday season, donations to Hillside Special Santas dropped off at the BAC will benefit more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families served by Hillside Family of Agencies.

Doors open on this year's giving effort

2008-11-19T13:55:00.003-05:00

The doors are officially open for the 2008 Hillside Special Santas holiday giving effort in Rochester and the surrounding areas.

A ceremony was held today at Eastman Hall on Hillside Children’s Center’s Monroe Avenue campus to mark the occasion. The event commemorated the start of the 27th year that Hillside Special Santas and the program’s Community Partners will work together in a giving spirit to provide new, unwrapped gifts to more than 5,900 youth and their families served by Hillside Family of Agencies.

“The growth of Hillside Special Santas and what it has meant to the youth and families is truly reflective of that special human quality that is shown when there are others in need,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas director.

The special quality Bohne talks about is also shown through the commitment that several businesses in the region have made this year to help Hillside Special Santas reach its goal to provide more than 17,700 gifts this holiday season.

One such Community Partner was on hand at the opening ceremony. Sue Schiffhauer from the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC) joined in the festivities and celebrated their third year of displaying hundreds of Hillside Special Santas gift tags, each one describing a specific child’s wish, in their lobbies. RAC patrons and visitors are asked to take a tag home after a workout, and purchase a corresponding gift. New, unwrapped gifts should be returned to the RAC location where they picked up the gift tag.

“The partnership with the Rochester Athletic Club is a unique opportunity to focus on each organization’s commitment to healthy living, wellness, and working to build a positive spirit throughout the community,” says Bohne.

In photo: Sue from RAC is on the left next to Sally. Look for more pictures here soon from the event!

Good food and the opportunity to do good

2008-11-18T06:30:00.001-05:00

This holiday season, the Duchess Restaurant in Penfield, NY is not just serving up good food. They’re serving up an opportunity to do good, too.

As a Hillside Special Santas Community Partner, Duchess Restaurant will display hundreds of Hillside Special Santas gift tags, each one describing a specific child’s wish, this year. Diners at the restaurant are asked to take a tag home after enjoying their meal, and purchase a corresponding gift. New, unwrapped gifts should be returned by December 17 to the restaurant.

“The partnership with Duchess is truly a gift,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas director. “The simple act of making Hillside Special Santas gift tags available to the many people that eat at Duchess Restaurant demonstrates a true dedication to youth and families.”

Last year alone, patrons that came to the restaurant located on helped to collect more than 400 gifts for Hillside Special Santas.

It's that time of year again in Syracuse!

2008-11-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hillside Special Santas announces that it is partnering with Y94FM, News 10 Now, Regal Cinemas, and Carousel Center to collect new, unwrapped gifts this holiday season in an effort to extend to the community the opportunity to make the holidays more meaningful for Central New York youth and families Hillside Family of Agencies serves.

The effort will kick off on Saturday, November 22 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Carousel Center first level outside the H&M store. Y94FM's Kathy Rowe and her morning crew, as well as Lacey Johnson from News 10 Now will be on hand during the event.

Everyone donating a new, unwrapped gift during the kickoff event will receive a special thank you gift, while supplies last. In addition, people stopping by the drop off location can register to win tickets from Y94FM to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Pops concert in December.

The gift collection drive will be ongoing at Carousel Center until Tuesday, December 17. During that time, two Hillside Special Santas-decorated gift collection boxes will be placed in the mall. One will be outside of Old Navy and the other will be near the main entrance to H&M.

Hillside Special Santas will help more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families served by Hillside Family of Agencies this holiday season. Donations of new, unwrapped gifts help to make the holiday season brighter for local youth and families in need.

Hillside Special Santas solves a holiday dilemma

2008-11-17T12:27:00.003-05:00

Hillside Special Santas knows how to solve the dilemma of picking out the perfect gift for teens during the holidays. Let them choose the gift!

By choosing gifts and donating them to Hillside Special Santas, teens in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and the surrounding areas make a difference in the life of one or more of their peers during the holidays.

This holiday season, Hillside Special Santas will help more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families served by Hillside Family of Agencies. The majority of those youth are teenagers.

“Teens often tell me that it is fun for them to go shopping and pick out gifts to donate to Hillside Special Santas. They say it gives them a good feeling because they know the gifts will help other teens that are need in their community,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas director.

Bohne, along with all of the members of the Hillside Special Santas staff, encourage teens to consider joining in the fun and becoming Hillside Special Santas this year to help make the holiday season brighter for local youth and their families that are in need.

Teens can help teens by collecting pennies this holiday season

2008-11-07T15:10:00.007-05:00

It’s time to look under the sofa cushions and gather up all of the loose change. The 98 PXY High School Challenge is about to begin, and it is a way teens in the Greater Rochester area can make a difference in the lives of other teens this holiday season.

Friday November 7, 14, and 21 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Bon Ton wing of the Marketplace Mall, 98PXY’s Kasper will be live on the air and accepting pennies in support of area high schools. The Rochester area high school that collects the most pennies will win a free concert at the school by national recording artist Donnie Klang. Advantage Federal Credit Union will be counting the pennies to determine the winning school.

“It’s my favorite time of year! I look forward to raising money for the children of Hillside, and making this year bigger and better than ever,” says 98PXY’s Kasper.

Proceeds from the 98PXY High School Challenge will benefit Hillside Special Santas. Hillside Special Santas will help more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families served by Hillside Family of Agencies this holiday season.

“Teens often tell me that collecting the pennies and donating them during the 98PXY High School Challenge gives them a good feeling because they know the money will help other teens and their families that are in need right here in our community,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager.

In addition to the 98 PXY High School Challenge, another fun way for teens to help teens this holiday season is by clicking on the Hillside Special Santas Reindeer at Hillside.com. Teens can also call Hillside Special Santas at (585) 256-7630 for ideas about how to get started.

Hillside Special Santas offers time-saving holiday donation tools

2008-10-30T09:54:00.005-04:00

Do you want to help others this holiday season, but don’t have any time to do so? If that is the case, Hillside Special Santas has a way for you to help children and families in need and save time. Simply log on to the Hillside Special Santas Web site.

Hillside Special Santas will help more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families served by Hillside Family of Agencies this holiday season. To meet its goal, the program has created a user-friendly web experience for those in the community who want to make a difference in the lives of children and families this holiday season.

“At Hillside Special Santas, we understand that time is a precious commodity–especially during the holidays. That’s why our Web site has several time-saving options for donors so that they can help youth and families in need when and how they prefer,” said Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager.

One of these options is the Hillside Special Santas online Personal Shopper tool. By going to the Web site (http://www.hillside.com/Donate/Santas/index.htm), time-strapped browsers select what gift they want to donate and in whatever amount they prefer—all without the hassle of trudging out to the store to buy it themselves. Individuals, families, students, community groups, businesses, religious organizations, and all others have the option of selecting any number of the most needed gifts this holiday season and designate where the gift or gifts will actually be donated.

Hillside Special Santas Personal Shopper gift options range in price from $5 to $25 each, and include such items as learning toys, books, journals, gloves, hoodies, portable music players, teen-oriented gift cards, and grocery gift cards. Donations are made through a secure server by credit card. Gifts can be designated to youth in services in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, or wherever most needed.

In addition to the Personal Shopper, anyone accessing the site can also utilize the online donation feature. The money donated in this manner will go directly to Hillside Special Santas and help the program provide such things as grocery gift certificates to families in need.

To become a Hillside Special Santa or to learn more about the online personal shopper tool log on to the Hillside Special Santas Web site, or follow the reindeer at www.Hillside.com.

Follow the new reindeer logo to become a Hillside Special Santa

2008-10-03T13:34:00.003-04:00

Much like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer leads the way for Santa Claus in the popular holiday tune, Hillside Special Santas has a reindeer leading the way for children and families served by Hillside Family of Agencies.

The reindeer is the holiday giving program’s new logo, replacing the three Santa hat design that had been utilized for many years.

Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas program manager, believes the reindeer was the perfect choice for the new logo because it is an image that is reminiscent of children and the fun of the holidays.

“We hope that people will follow the reindeer and become a Hillside Special Santa this year,” says Bohne, noting that her favorite moments during Hillside Special Santas come when she is listening to a donor tell her how excited he or she is about giving gifts to the children and families.

“Many donors show me each gift they’ve purchased and I tell them the joy they’re feeling is not even close to how much joy a child feels,” says Bohne.

The Hillside Special Santas Reindeer is hoping you will find him at www.Hillside.com. By clicking on the Reindeer, individuals, families, students, community groups, businesses, religious organizations, and all others can learn how to make the holiday season brighter for the 5,900 youth from 4,000 families in central and western New York served by Hillside Family of Agencies that Hillside Special Santas will help this year.

Bohne adds that families and office groups looking for holiday projects are just a click away from the Hillside Special Santas Reindeer. There she says they will learn about the needs of the children and families in the greater Buffalo, Syracuse, or Rochester area.

Follow the Reindeer to www.Hillside.com and become a Hillside Special Santa today!

Now is the time to become a Hillside Special Santa

2008-09-15T12:23:00.003-04:00

It’s not too early to begin planning for the holidays. And it’s not too early to become a Hillside Special Santa and help youth and families build better futures.

This holiday season, Hillside Special Santas will help more than 5,900 youth from 4,000 families across New York served by Hillside Family of Agencies.

“Each year, the people that donate new gifts and clothing to Hillside Special Santas are truly reflective of that special human quality that is shown when there are others in need,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager, noting that now is the time to make a difference in the lives of these children and families.

Bohne, along with all of the members of the Hillside Special Santas staff, encourage individuals, families, students, community groups, businesses, religious organizations, and all others to consider joining in the fun and becoming Hillside Special Santas this year to help make the holiday season brighter for local youth and their families that are in need. To learn how to become a Hillside Special Santa, call (585) 256-7630, (716) 848-6416, or (315) 258-2191, or follow the reindeer at www.Hillside.com.

“Thanks to the more than 25 years of generous support from of all of the Hillside Special Santas in the community, Hillside Family of Agencies is able to reach out to thousands of youth and families each year through Hillside Special Santas. As our needs continue to grow, your support becomes even more valuable,” says Sally.

Don't Open 'til September 15

2008-09-11T14:52:00.003-04:00

Check back here on Monday, September 15, for exciting news about the 2008 Hillside Special Santas program!

It's "Christmas in July"

2008-07-14T15:22:00.002-04:00

Hillside Special Santas and WARM 101.3 are teaming up to bring Christmas to Rochester a little early this year. Tune in to WARM 101.3 on the 25th to hear all of your holiday favorites–July 25th that is!

As part of its Christmas in July promotion, WARM 101.3 will start playing Christmas music at 5:00 p.m. and will not stop until $5,000 dollars has been raised for Hillside Special Santas, the Hillside Family of Agencies’ holiday giving program that offers the community an opportunity to help youth and families during the holiday season.

Not in the holiday mood just yet? Donations will be taken online prior to the promotion at https://www.hillside.com/Donate/Christmas.asp. If $5,000 is raised before the July 25, officials at WARM 101.3 say they won't bring the "fa, la, la, la ,la," but Hillside Special Santas will be able to get a jump start on its goal by providing gifts to 101 of the 7,500 children they will be helping this holiday season.

Now entering its 27th year, Hillside Special Santas began with distribution of donated gifts stored in a Hillside leader’s office and has grown into a holiday giving program serving children and families in 24 counties throughout New York State. This year, Hillside Special Santas has expanded to provide holiday cheer to more than 7,500 youth—1,900 more than in previous years.

For more information on Hillside Special Santas, please log on to Hillside.com. Follow the reindeer, and join the merriment of Christmas in July.

What happens to the gifts when they leave headquarters?

2007-12-20T15:19:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-18T09:37:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-11T13:46:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-11T11:04:00.001-05:00

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

2007-12-11T10:53:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-12-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

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.

Sally and the media

2007-11-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

All of the TV stations in Rochester came out to cover the Hillside Special Santas headquarters opening ceremony November 28. Here are a few photos from when they interviewed Sally. The reporter is RNews weekend night anchor Rocco Vertuccio.

More from the ribbon cutting ceremony

2007-11-29T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here is another video clip from the Hillside Special Santas headquarters opening ceremony. In this clip, Sue Schiffhauer discusses the RAC and RAC for Women locations at which people can drop off Special Santa gifts.

Open for business

2007-11-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

As of 11:30 a.m. November 28, Hillside Special Santas headquarters is officially open for the holiday season!
Check out this clip from the ribbon cutting ceremony. The woman cutting the ribbon is Sue Schiffhauer representing Hillside Special Santas holiday partner the Rochester Athletic Clubs and the Rochester Athletic Clubs for Women.

Thank you!

2007-11-27T08:24:00.000-05:00

Thank you to the students of Batavia High School, 98 PXY’s 2007 High School Challenge winner, and to all of the local high school students that participated in the contest. Together, these students collected and donated pennies totaling over $27,975 to Hillside Special Santas to help the holiday giving program reach its goal of providing gifts and warm clothing to the 5,600 youth and their families served by Hillside Family of Agencies this year. A special thanks also to Family First Federal Credit Union for counting all of those pennies.

Enjoy the holiday

2007-11-22T12:11:00.000-05:00

From everyone at Hillside Special Santas, here's hoping that you and yours have a very happy, healthy, safe, and joyous Thanksgiving!

It's CRUNCH time!

2007-11-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

The Syracuse Crunch and News 10 Now are partnering to help Hillside Special Santas this year. You can, too, by dropping off a new, unwrapped gift at the November 23, 30, and December 1 games.

For more info, check out here or here.

On the inside with the Syracuse Crunch

2007-11-21T11:47:00.000-05:00

Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager, recently took some time out from her duties at Special Santas Headquarters to travel to the OnCenter, home of the Syracuse Crunch Hockey Club. She went inside their locker room to talk to the team about Special Santas and what their help meant to her, and the youth and families that are being helped this year.
“They’ve rejuvenated us. Their desire to help the kids and families was just exciting,” said Sally after her locker room talk.
Joining Sally was Heather Van Dyne, Special Santas assistant, and Teri Parks, News 10 Now marketing manager.

Kind & thoughtful action of the day

2007-11-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

We had an interesting call today at Hillside Special Santa headquarters.

Webster, NY resident Lorri Edicola called and said that while shopping at the TJ Maxx there, shefound an envelope with three Hillside Special Santas gift tags and $30 in it. Lorri called Hillside Special Santa headquarters to arrange to drop off the envelope because she was worried that if she left it with the store that the children would not get their gifts this holiday. Lorri came all the way from Webster to drop off the envelope. If the person who dropped it could not be found, Lorri said that she would be willing to purchase the gifts.

We sincerely thank Lorri for her kindness and thoughtfulness!

Kick Off at Carousel Nov. 25

2007-11-20T13:46:00.000-05:00

Hillside Special Santas today announced that it is partnering with Y94FM, News 10 Now, and Carousel Center to collect new, unwrapped gifts this holiday season in an effort to extend to the community the opportunity to make the holidays more meaningful for Central New York youth and families Hillside Family of Agencies serves.

The effort will kick off on Sunday, November 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Carousel Center commons level. On hand will be Y94FM's Kathy Rowe and Marne Mason and News 10 Now’s Lacey Johnson.

Everyone donating a new, unwrapped gift during the kickoff will receive special gifts from Y94FM and News 10 Now, while supplies last. In addition, people stopping by the drop off location can register to win tickets from Y94FM to the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra's performance of The Nutcracker.

The gift collection drive will be ongoing at Carousel Center until Tuesday, December 18. During that time, two Hillside Special Santas-decorated gift collection boxes will be placed in the mall. One will be outside of Old Navy and the other will be near the main entrance to H&M.

We look forward to seeing you out at the Carousel Center!

Hillside Special Santas on WNY Living TV show

2007-11-20T12:09:00.000-05:00

Check out this link to hear and see Hillside Special Santas' very own Sally Bohne talk about the program with WNY Living host Maria Genero on Buffalo's WGRZ Channel 2. The show aired on November 17.

If you are reading this from the Buffalo area, be on the look out for information coming soon about the Hillside/WGRZ/WJYE wrapping party happening on December 8.

Hillside Special Santas partners with Buffalo Athletic Club

2007-11-20T11:44:00.000-05:00

Hillside Special Santas, announces that the Buffalo Athletic Club (BAC) will be a partner in this year’s effort to make a difference in the lives of youth and families during the holiday season.

The seven BAC locations throughout Greater Buffalo will display in their lobbies a total of 700 Hillside Special Santas gift tags. Each one describes a specific child’s wish. Beginning today, November 20, visitors to any of the BAC locations are asked to remove a tag, take it home, and purchase a corresponding gift. Unwrapped gifts should be returned by December 17 to either the BAC locations in Buffalo, Amherst, Orchard Park, and Williamsville, or the BAC for Women locations in Depew, Tonawanda, or Williamsville.

“The partnership between Hillside Special Santas and the Buffalo Athletic Club provides a unique opportunity to highlight each organization’s focus on health, wellness, and building community spirit,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager.

Hillside Special Santas & First Niagara Bank team up to help Buffalo youth

2007-11-20T10:29:00.000-05:00

November 20, 2007--In an effort to extend the Greater Buffalo community the opportunity to help youth and families there build better futures during the holidays, Hillside Special Santas announces that it is partnering with First Niagara Bank this year.

Thirty First Niagara branches in and around Buffalo will display a total of 1,000 Hillside Special Santas gift tags, each one describing a specific child’s wish, this year in their lobbies. Beginning now, visitors to any of these 30 First Niagara branches are asked to remove a tag, take it home, and purchase a corresponding gift. New, unwrapped gifts should be returned to the branch location by December 17.

Last chance to use up those extra pennies

2007-11-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

If you are a high school student in Rochester, you probably already know that the High School Challenge is just about to wrap up.

But if you have any extra pennies that you still haven't dropped off at the Bon Ton wing of Marketplace Mall, now is the time to do it.

From 6:00-9:00 p.m. tonight and tomorrow night (11/16), 98 PXY's Kasper will be on site collecting pennies as part of the station's High School Challenge to benefit Hillside Special Santas. The students donating the most pennies will receive a concert in their school by BOYS LIKE GIRLS on Friday, January 11th.

Rochester Athletic Club in for a second straight year as Hillside Special Santas partner

2007-11-15T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hillside Special Santas announces that for a second consecutive year the Rochester Athletic Club (RAC) will be a partner in the effort to make a difference in the lives of youth and families during the holiday season.

The five RAC locations throughout Greater Rochester will display in their lobbies a total of 500 Hillside Special Santas gift tags. Each one describes a specific child’s wish. Beginning November 19, visitors to any of the RAC locations are asked to remove a tag, take it home, and purchase a corresponding gift. Unwrapped gifts should be returned by December 17 to either the RAC locations in Rochester, the RAC for Women locations in Greece, Pittsford, and Perinton, or to Hillside Family of Agencies.

“The partnership between Hillside Special Santas and the Rochester Athletic Club provides a unique opportunity to highlight each organization’s focus on health, wellness, and building community spirit,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager.

Hillside learns of fraudulent fundraising being conducted in its name

2007-11-14T08:37:00.000-05:00

Hillside Family of Agencies has received numerous calls from concerned citizens reporting that there have been at least two confirmed cases of unidentified community members fraudulently representing themselves as agents of Hillside in door-to-door solicitation efforts within the community.

According to Hillside Children’s Foundation President Tom Hildebrandt, Hillside Family of Agencies does not conduct door-to-door fundraising and has not authorized any member of the community to engage in this type of activity on behalf of the organization.

“We would never approve of this type of fundraising nor grant permission to community members to collect funds in this manner on our behalf. It is very unfortunate that our agency is being misrepresented in this way,” says Hildebrandt.

Hildebrandt is also concerned that these fraudulent fundraising efforts will detract much needed attention from Hillside Family of Agencies’ 26th annual holiday campaign, Hillside Special Santas. This holiday season, Hillside Special Santas is expanding to help more than 5,600 youth served by Hillside Family of Agencies–1,600 more than in previous years, by collecting new gifts, cash, and food certificates. To learn how to become a Hillside Special Santa, follow the reindeer at www.Hillside.com.

“This is a critical time of year for us in terms of community fundraising. Hillside Special Santas has dramatically grown and so too has our need for community support. Hopefully, these fraudulent claims will not have an adverse effect on our Special Santas efforts,” says Hildebrandt.

Hillside Family of Agencies representatives encourage community members to be aware of door-to-door solicitors claiming to be raising funds for the local nonprofit. Incident reports should be filed immediately with local law enforcements officials.

Canandaigua National Bank partners with Hillside Special Santas

2007-11-14T08:33:00.000-05:00

In an effort to extend to the community the opportunity to help youth and families build better futures this holiday season, Hillside Special Santas announces that it is partnering with Canandaigua National Bank and Trust for a fifth consecutive year.

The bank’s 18 branches will display a total of 1,500 Hillside Special Santas gift tags, each one describing a specific child’s wish, this year on holiday trees in their lobbies. Beginning November 19, visitors to any of the Canandaigua National Bank and Trust branches are asked to remove a tag, take it home, and purchase a corresponding gift. Unwrapped gifts should be returned by December 17 to any of the CNB branches throughout Monroe and Ontario counties or to Hillside Family of Agencies.

“The partnership with Canandaigua National Bank and Trust is truly a gift,” says Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager. “Through the simple act of making Hillside Special Santas gift tags available at the bank’s many community branches, CNB demonstrates its dedication to youth and families.”

Last year alone, Canandaigua National Bank and Trust helped to collect more than 1,400 gifts for Hillside Special Santas.

The signs are up!

2007-11-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

Guess what?!?

The Hillside Special Santas signs are up at Hillside Family of Agencies locations.

This is a sure "sign" (sorry, couldn't help it :-)) that the holiday season is upon us. And, it won't be too long before Hillside Special Santas Headquarters opens.

We here at Hillside Special Santas are working on a really special celebration to commemorate the opening this year, so be sure to check back for news on that soon!

Until then, we'd love to hear your Hillside Special Santas story. Tell it to us here. Thanks!

Reindeer leads the way

2007-11-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

To paraphrase a famous holiday tune, You may know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen...but do you know the Hillside Special Santa Reindeer?

This year, this cute little animal is leading the way to learn more about becoming a Hillside Special Santa for youth and families served by Hillside Family of Agencies in the communities in and around Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester.

Here is more info on how the Hillside Special Santa Reindeer is leading the way: http://www.hillside.com/News/nr/2007/nr_110707.htm

If you like the reindeer, be sure to check out all of the different scenes he's in at Hillside.com!

Hillside Special Santas offers hope during the holiday season

2007-10-30T11:43:00.000-04:00

Becoming a Hillside Special Santa impacts the lives of so many youth and families throughout central and western New York during the holidays. Here are just a few of the stories about how much your support means to the children and families Hillside serves:

· A family in Crestwood Children’s Center services was too proud to tell anyone they couldn’t afford holiday gifts for their children. A staff member visited the parents one evening bringing toys, books, and a warm sweater for the younger children, and a football, hand-held video game, and Buffalo Bills sweatshirt for the 12-year-old boy. The parents were also given a gift card to a local grocery store so they could purchase special holiday treats. “Who do we thank?” they asked and were told it was a Hillside Special Santa.

· Lia was in a Hillside residential treatment cottage (RTC) last year. She was pretty angry with the world. Her family had been through lots of turmoil and, as a 14-year-old girl with severe behavioral issues, she had been placed in foster homes before coming to Hillside. Lia was not able to be at home during the holidays, so the RTC staff members arranged a holiday time for the family to spend together in the cottage. They shared gifts, made special treats to eat, and played their new games thanks to Hillside Special Santas. At the end of the school year, Lia moved back home and is now attending a Hillside day treatment program.

· A frightened and sad 11-year-old boy and his nine-year-old sister were placed in Hillside therapeutic foster care just before the holidays. They were hoping for adoptive parents and wanted to stay together. An urgent call was placed to Hillside Special Santas for some gifts for these siblings. Since donors were asking what we still needed, we were able to get exactly what they wanted. The siblings were adopted by their foster parents the following Spring. This year they will celebrate a very special holiday as a family.

Thanks to the more than 25 years of generous support from of all of the Special Santas in the community, Hillside Family of Agencies is able to reach out to thousands of youth and families just like in the stories mentioned here each year through Hillside Special Santas.

Individuals, families, students, community groups, businesses, religious organizations, and all others are urged to consider becoming Hillside Special Santas this year and helping to make the holiday season brighter for local youth and their families that are in need.

To learn how to become a Hillside Special Santa, call (585) 256-7630 or follow the reindeer at www.Hillside.com.

Also, if you have a Hillside Special Santas story, let us know. We look forward to your comments.

Hillside Special Santas lines are open and ready for holiday planning

2007-10-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

It’s not too early to begin planning for the holidays. And it’s not too early to become a Hillside Special Santa and help youth and families in our community build better futures.

This holiday season, Hillside Special Santas is expanding to help more than 5,600 youth served by Hillside Family of Agencies–1,600 more than in previous years.

“The growth of Hillside Special Santas is truly reflective of that special human quality that is shown when there are others in need,” said Sally Bohne, Hillside Special Santas manager, noting that now is the time to make a difference in the lives of these children and families.

Bohne, along with all of the members of the Hillside Special Santas staff, encourage individuals, families, students, community groups, businesses, religious organizations, and all others to consider becoming Hillside Special Santa this year and helping to make the holiday season brighter for local youth and their families that are in need. To learn how to become a Hillside Special Santa, call (585) 256-7630 or follow the reindeer at www.Hillside.com.

Thanks to the more than 25 years of generous support from of all of the Special Santas in the community, Hillside Family of Agencies is able to reach out to thousands of youth and families each year through Hillside Special Santas. As our needs continue to grow, your support becomes even more valuable.

Gift Drop-Offs

2007-10-09T13:05:00.000-04:00

In Rochester:

Special Santas Headquarters
1183 Monroe Avenue

Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Starting November 28)

Saturday, December 15 & Sunday, December 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

In Buffalo & Syracuse

Call or visit Special Santas online for hours and locations nearest you.

Please note

To ensure that our families receive their gifts by the holidays, Hillside Special Santas must receive donations no later than December 17, 2007.

Earlier delivery is always appreciated.

'Tis the Season to Believe

2007-10-09T12:48:00.000-04:00

Become a Hillside Special Santa today!

To learn more, please contact Hillside Special Santas Headquarters:

Phone
585.256.7630
315.258.2191
716.848.6416

Online
Follow the reindeer at Hillside.com

Postal
Hillside Special Santas
1183 Monroe Avenue
Rochester, NY 14620