KidsOut Rotary Toy Box Appeal Xmas 2023

Many may not know that KidsOut run a 'Rotary Christmas Toy Box Appeal' every Christmas time in addition to their KidsOut Days in June.  

We have received this 'Thank You ' letter from KidsOut for our recent donation:

"On behalf of everyone at KidsOut, I extend our deepest gratitude to you and your Rotary Club for the generous donation of £300.00 towards the Rotary Christmas Toy Box Appeal 'Every Refuge, Every Child.' Please convey our thanks to all involved for their unwavering support.  We are thrilled to share that a record-breaking 6,558 Toy Boxes were distributed and delivered to the Refuges in time for Christmas, ensuring that every child in a staffed Refuge received a Christmas Toy Box. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the support of dedicated Rotary Clubs like yours across the UK.

As you can imagine, Christmas is always tough for families in Refuge, with most children arriving in refuge with only the clothes on their back, restricted to a single room with their mother and siblings.  Mothers struggle to provide essentials, let alone toys for their children at Christmas. Therefore, we also provided each family with a £40 supermarket voucher.

The Rotary Christmas Toy Boxes offered the children brand-new toys, providing support for their mental well-being and making the world feel a little kinder. These toys are given to the mothers so that they can present them as gifts from Santa, not charity. This is crucial for the mothers' self-esteem during such a distressing time. Below is just a glimpse of the wonderful positive feedback we received.

“Refuge life can be difficult, especially for families, and the added pressure for parents to ensure their children have presents to open on Christmas morning causes a lot of stress and upset for our mums – especially as finances are tight. However, your toys mean we can provide our amazing families with

"Santa knew I was here! I love my new toys. I am so happy with my presents."- Child in refuge aged 7

"The presents that my children received was overwhelming. I was blown away. It was amazing to see them so happy." - Mother in Refuge

""My favourite is the playdough! "I love my new toys" “It is so nice to get toys as I had to leave all of my favorite things behind  - Child in Refuge aged 4.

KidsOut, was started by Rotary and we have been in partnership ever since with the aim of bringing fun and happiness into the lives of disadvantaged children. We believe that every child deserves to build happy memories.

Thank you once again for your generous support.  Your contribution has made a real difference to some of the most disadvantaged children in your local area, bringing joy when they need it most.

All the very best, 

Sandra Doherty

Head of Children’s Services

01525 243224/07934535437"