2021 is well underway, but there’s still an event in 2020 we wanted to look back on and say thank you to the community for.
In early December 2020, Hello Georgetown teamed up with Hipp Radio Network and Robert’s Printing to put on our first annual Make A Smile Happen, or M.A.S.H., event. For one day, these organizations invited the community to come donate to the combined food drive, toy drive, pet supply drive and cash donation drive, and the donations would go to help five local non-profits:
- Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center
- Helping Hands of Georgetown
- Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
- Help Crisis Assistance
- The Playful Child
All of us who worked on this event are thrilled at how much the community came out to support these wonderful organizations, and boy did those donations help!
See how each organization was impacted by your donations below:
Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center
The Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center served as our toy drive recipient for our 1st Annual M.A.S.H. event. While many people think of younger children when they hear or see “toy drive,” the advocacy center also asked community members to think about donating items that would bring a smile to the faces of their tween and teenage clients.
By the end of the event, the toys and gifts collected on behalf of the advocacy center completely filled a 4-door, F-150 inside and out!
” M.A.S.H. gift donations went from the outdoor collection tables straight into our Holiday Market,” Tiffany Sturman, Director of Community Engagement for the Center told Hello Georgetown. “Our Holiday Market is an annual event providing parents and caregivers the opportunity for an enjoyable shopping experience, selecting gifts for their children worry-free and without cost! We had to goal of providing over 500 gifts this holiday season and the community who came by during M.A.S.H. were instrumental in helping us achieve that goal! Happy tears were shed from both parents and staff, there was excitement from kids as they chose the perfect gift for their parent, and our goal of bringing joy to families was exceeded beyond expectations.”
A big thank you to each of you who donated gifts and items to help the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center!
Learn more about the Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center here.
Helping Hands of Georgetown
Food donations during the Make A Smile Happen event went to the Helping Hands of Georgetown, who works to feed needy individuals and families in Georgetown.
Georgetown really rallied together and provided an abundance of food to the organization – almost 1,000 items valued at almost $1,500 total!
“With the donations from the M.A.S.H. food drive we were able to finish the holiday season and the year strong for our community in need,” Rebecca Huggins, Executive Director for Helping Hands of Georgetown, told Hello Georgetown. “We were able to serve our families (during the month of December) nearly 400 Pantry bags full of food amounting to nearly 10,000 pounds of food distributed.”
Thank you to each of you who donated food during our event and for your support of Helping Hands of Georgetown!
Learn more about Helping Hands of Georgetown.
Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
During the holidays and the season of giving, it can be easy to overlook our four-legged, furry friends who are also in need.
Not to worry though, our community came out to support all the animals at the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter who served as our pet supply drive beneficiary for the event.
“Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter (WCRAS) relies on the community’s leadership when it comes to providing for the animals in our care,” April Pieffer, Community Programs Coordinator for the shelter, told Hello Georgetown. “Time and again, they step up to show that our lifesaving mission is their priority, and the animals benefit immensely, whether it be from a new toy to give them something fun to do while in their kennels or a special treat to teach them new things – it all helps!”
Thank you Georgetown for showering the shelter with food, toys, cat litter, dog treats and so much more!
Learn more about the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter.
Help Crisis Assistance
Our cash donations were split between two wonderful organizations – one of them is Help Crisis Assistance who works to serve community members who are in crisis.
“Donations received from the M.A.S.H. event went to two separate cases,” Julie Hobbs, President of Help CrisisAssistance, told Hello Georgetown. “We were able to pay
a moving company to relocate a family that needed immediate assistance due to family violence. Approximately $700 was spent in order to make this happen. The additional funds raised were allocated to assist a local family who took in a family member with a terminal cancer diagnosis. We were able to purchase items to set up a comfortable bedroom.”
All of us involved in this event were so touched to see the community’s willingness to give and support this organization and their mission – thank you to all who donated!
Learn more about Help Crisis Assistance.
The Playful Child
Our other cash donation beneficiary is The Playful Child and the donations from the community went directly towards helping continue a very special project.
“The donations are helping us reach our goal for Phase 1 of the Kade Damian Healing Hearts Park and Playground being built in Georgetown,” Rachel Hancock, who serves as a board member for The Playful Child, told Hello Georgetown.
The Kade Damian Healing Hearts Part and Playground is dedicated in memory of Kade Damian and all children who now live on in our hearts and memories, the organization said on their website. They hope to break ground on Phase 1 in 2022 and will have more details about construction, costs and memorial options during the first quarter of this year.
Learn more about The Playful Child.
Looking Forward to 2021
Again, a huge thank you to each and every one of you who came out for our M.A.S.H. event – you are the reason each of these organizations smiled bigger and brighter during the holidays in 2020. Each of these non-profits are so grateful for the continued support of the Georgetown community.
In 2021, they are each looking forward to their own goals and needs in each of their organizations and for their missions to serve and uplift those in our community.
Williamson County Children’s Advocacy Center
“We look forward to the day we can welcome our full staff as well as our volunteers back into our building safely! Because our children are not being seen and heard as frequently, due to COVID, it is imperative that our community is educated to best protect children,” Sturman said. “WCCAC provides regular community trainings to help prevent and interrupt abuse. Our doors never closed during 2020 and as we venture into 2021 we know our mission to provide hope, healing and justice to our most treasured assets, our children, is pressing now more than ever.”
Helping Hands of Georgetown
“In 2021 we will look towards expanding AGAIN,” Huggins said. “We are planning to add more routes to the van run for our food pantry. Big picture, we would like to establish a brick and mortar food pantry in SE Georgetown to provide walk-in support for those that may need.”
Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter
“For 2021, WCRAS looks forward to continuing to implement its lifesaving mission through its adoption, volunteer, foster, transport, offsite adoption programs,” Peiffer said. “Our pilot programs, Honor Roll & the Kitten Coordinator position, for 2019-2020 were a huge success, and we have just begun a new partnership with Jail To Jobs. The shelter welcomes new volunteers and fosters, and we of course are always in need of donations. Visit pets.wilco.org to donate, to see all of our adoptable pets, or to learn more about becoming a volunteer or foster.”
Help Crisis Assistance
“In 2021 we expect the need for our services to increase,” Hobbs said. “Our goals are to be able to meet those needs and raise enough money to do so. We plan to incorporate grants and seek out corporate sponsorships.”
The Playful Child
“[In 2021,] we are looking forward to growing our Board and Committee members,” Hancock said. “If anyone is interested in learning more, please reach out to us at rachel@theplayfulchild.org.”
Anyone who is interested in helping or learning more about any of these organizations can visit the links in each section above or click the links below:
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