Hillside Special Santas solves a holiday dilemma

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's "Christmas in July"

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.