Irene Hearn
Looking back on 2008, Irene Hearn says that their Adopt-A-Family donor experience made their Christmas.
"Our own family has been blessed with good fortune. We gave ourselves a different gift this year, the gift of giving to others. More importantly, our personal Christmas spirits were revived when we were able to give to those who wished for something and really needed it.”
Irene and Gary Hearn were first time Adopt-A-Family donors in 2008 and their experience made a huge impact on their holiday season. Due to their experiences in each of their lines of work, the Hearns were aware of the need in our community particularly by children and teens. Irene says that she has considered being a donor before and after some discussion in the staff room at school, she decided to sign up. Irene and Gary decided to Adopt two independent teens. They received wishlists from the Adopt-A-Family team for a teen girl and boy that were living independently and Irene especially enjoyed the fact that they were able to get them items they wanted or wished for along with what they needed. Irene says that she carried around the wishlists in her purse and picked up the gifts over time and by the end of the experience she had the lists memorized and was constantly on the lookout for the perfect gifts. She said that through the experience she felt like she was shopping for her own family and could imagine the teens’ faces when they opened their gifts. In particular, she remembers that the teen girl asked for a white terrycloth robe and slippers and when she purchased them she could imagine her being able to relax and enjoy the gift. It was a pleasant surprise to then be forwarded a handmade card from each of the teens – with the girl’s card specifically thanking them for the housecoat.
Irene added that she thinks that they had the easy job – shopping for the families in need and that it was the hard work by the Adopt-A-Family team that she was most impressed with. In 2008, 530 families consisting of 1150 children were provided gifts and grocery gift cards through the program. The dedicated Adopt-A-Family Team coordinates the family referrals from agencies in Guelph and Wellington , matches these families with donors and coordinates the gift delivery to the families in time for the Holidays.
Be part of Adopt-A-Family and help brighten the Holidays for families in Guelph and Wellington – like for the Hearn Family, the impact on your own Holidays may be beyond what you could ever imagine.
For more information on being a donor for Adopt-A-Family visit our Adopt-A-Family page. If you would like to make a donation, please contact us at 519-826-9551.
