They say Christmas is a magical time for children, and our latest blog post certainly attests to this. At the Community Give Box, the Foundation’s retail arm, referrals are commonplace. If asked for something specific that’s required by an individual or an organisation, the Give Box staff and volunteers will do all they can to get their hands on the items. They also refer items on to other organisations and community groups, too, if the opportunity arises and someone else is in need. This story illustrates how our local third sector referral network works.
When writing her list for Santa, six year-old Rae didn’t think of herself. Once she’d finished, her mother contacted the Give Box with this extraordinary story…
“My wonderful daughter, Rae, asked Santa for the new ‘day to night Barbie dream house’. I said to her, ‘You already have a Barbie dream house. Why not ask for something different?’
Rae replied, ‘Mummy, I want to give my dream house to a little girl who doesn’t have anything.’
I admit, my heart melted. I’ve always discussed with my children how fortunate they are, which I feel encourages them to be kind and caring. Her dad and I wanted to reward her selflessness, so, with Santa’s help, we got her the upgrade. We appreciate that we are fortunate to be able to do this, and we also wanted to carry out Rae’s wish.
I was going to offer Rae’s existing Barbie dream house to someone who needed it via Facebook; however, my mum, who has donated to the Give Box before and is aware of the work it does, felt it would be best placed to know exactly who the dream house should go to—i.e. someone in real need.
The Barbie dream house that Rae wanted to donate is three floors of loveliness. Rae and I popped all its accessories in a box…little plates, cutlery, tables, chairs, etc. She has also donated some Barbies, as ‘you can’t play with the dream house without Barbies!’ There’s also space at the bottom for parking, so Rae also donated her Barbie car.
I hope you can help us find the right home for this beautiful toy.”
Sarah
Julia, the Give Box manager, received Sarah’s message just after Christmas. She got in touch with a few different groups to see if they could nominate a beneficiary. Tracey, who runs The Burns Club in Pontefract, put Julia in contact with one of her members. Tracey’s charity helps children and families affected by burns. After a few messages back and forth, Sarah and her husband brought the Barbie dream house and a bulging bag of Barbies and accessories to the Give Box’s new shop.
Julia then contacted Lyndsay, the mother of the little girl nominated by The Burns Club to receive it. Gracie was incredibly excited to play with her new Barbie dream house. She even wrote a letter to thank ‘the kind little girl who’d made her dreams come true.’
Unfortunately, Rae’s paternal granddad suffered a heart attack the night before they dropped the Barbie dream house off at the Give Box. Despite this, Sarah was adamant that Gracie wouldn’t be disappointed.
Isn’t this a perfect example of local people and local organisations coming together to help those in need? And isn’t Rae an incredibly generous little girl? At a time when most other children are primarily concerned with what Santa will bring them, she wanted to spread her own kind of magic, and help someone in her community. Bravo, Rae—what a great example for the rest of
us to follow.
The Foundation, and the Give Box, exist purely to help and support people in need across Wakefield and the Five Towns. If you can help us help more people—by volunteering your time, making a financial donation or bringing your unwanted items to the Give Box’s shop in Trinity Walk—please do get in touch with us at info@wakefieldcf.org.uk.