The true meaning of the holiday spirit is to give back. Here in West Haven, that spirit is alive and well as evidenced by a variety of donations made to the Community House this holiday season.
Each year, the West Haven Community House board members, friends and staff participate in an annual giving tree where donations of toys and gifts are collected and given out to families and adults in the agency’s programs. In addition, many businesses and organizations conducted holiday drives collecting hundreds of toys, games, coats, hats, gloves and more making this holiday season a little merrier for many local families.
“The children in our programs had a very special holiday season thanks to the many individuals who make it a part of their holiday tradition to think of the Community House and the families we serve”, said Patricia Stevens, Executive Director of the Community House. “A heartfelt thank you to our board of directors, staff and everyone who donated items, and a very special thanks to the businesses and organizations that conduct holiday drives including Oyster River Energy, Shoreline Dental, Arti Dixson from JA Music LLC, Eder Bros, Beacon on the Hill (community outreach center for Our Lady of Victory and St. John Vianney), Italian American Club Women’s Guild, West Haven Housing Authority, West Haven Vietnam Veteran’s Association, West Haven Police Department and Z’s Corner Café”, she continued.
The Community House is the cornerstone social service agency of West Haven providing services to thousands of families for more than 76 years by giving preschoolers from low-income families a ‘Head Start’ in life and the educational foundation they need to be successful in school, ensuring that school-aged children have a safe, affordable place to be during the before and after-school hours and providing people with intellectual disabilities opportunities to gain skills needed to increase independence and integrate into the community.
“In this season of giving, we are reminded that we could not succeed without the support of the hundreds of kindhearted people of West Haven and beyond. We cannot express enough how much we appreciate the support and generosity throughout the year, especially during the holiday season.” Stevens said. “From all of us at the Community House and the families we serve, we wish you all a wonderful and safe new year”.
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