Posted December 17, 2009

Gifts pour in for Grandma's Kids

CONTACT: Jazmyn Burton <jburton@temple.edu> 215-204-7594

The holiday season was looking bleak for more than 200 elementary students who were in danger of loosing their annual holiday party and gift exchange. But, thanks to the support of the Temple community, children from four Philadelphia public schools will have a happy holiday after all.

“The response has been amazing,” said Joy Woods-Jones, program coordinator of Grandma’s Kids, a Temple-sponsored after-school program designed to support the needs of children who reside with a grandparent.

Every holiday season, Grandma’s Kids host a holiday party where each child enrolled in the program is given a special gift. The program depends on donations from an annual sponsor to supply gifts for their holiday party.

However, this year the program has lost its main contributor, leaving the children without toys for the first time since the program began its Christmas drive. That is, until Temple employees, students and staff members answered the call and made donations to the program.

“We have so many toys and donations now, we will certainly have a wonderful holiday party,” Woods-Jones said.

Temple provides family support services to children in Grandma’s Kids, who are placed in the care of grandparents or other relatives due to parental abandonment, substance abuse, illness, incarceration, neglect or abuse.

Jazmyn Burton/Temple University

Joy Woods-Jones, program coordinator for Grandma’s Kids, and educational coordinator Shanelle Minaya received dozens of donations from the Temple community. The toys will be given as gifts to children enrolled in Grandma’s Kids, a Temple sponsored afterschool program that serves children living with a grand parents or relatives.

kevin Cook/Temple University

Grandma's Kids students Jashirrah Corbitt, 7, and Jamir Finks, 8, receive homework help from Fox School of Business student Barbara Malek.