Guess What's Around the Corner?!
We can’t believe it’s November already, but we’re so excited for all the fun that comes with the change of the season including: cuddling up by the fire with hot cocoa, watching our kiddos playing in the snow and continuing on holiday traditions with our families. In Pause world, this time of year means we are in full swing preparing for our annual Holiday Shoppe event! The Pause Holiday Shoppe is an annual event families talk about all year round. #ItsKindOfABigDeal
Our Holiday Shoppe allows families to enter into a sensory friendly wonderland made just for them to create memories and strengthen family bonds. Year after year we are blown away by the smiles, the laughter and the thank-yous given by parents and volunteers alike.
The Holiday Shoppe includes games and activities where kids can explore with all of their senses. They can build gingerbread houses, play with themed sensory bins galore or visit our sensory friendly Santa. Kids can also write a letter to Santa to share how brave, kind, and strong they were throughout the year and something they want to do for someone else in their family or community. They can celebrate different holidays around the world to bring awareness of cultural diversity. No matter which of the 35 activities there choose to do, they will walk out with greater self-esteem and stronger connections!
By choosing resilience as a focus, we are able to be more intentional with the way we create fun. Instead of kiddos getting prizes after each game or activity for example, volunteers write affirmation stickers for the child to wear throughout the duration of the event. By the end, kids are walking around covered with stickers shouting their worth. There is something magical about 100+ humans from the next generation walking around with reminders like: “I am loved.”, “I matter.” or “I am an incredible friend.”
But wait, there’s more! <begin cheesy infomercial music> This really is the best part! Our sweet kiddos also have the opportunity to do some holiday shopping for family members on the day of the event or virtually prior to arriving! Watching them select the perfect gift for each person in their family with the help of their personal shopper is...well, copious amounts of pure joy for them and us!
We are excited to announce this year’s theme of “A Charlie Brown Holiday Shoppe” created to remind us that a little love can go a long way.
Interested in ways that YOU can spread a little love this holiday season?
1. Share your TIME with us! Volunteer at the Holiday Shoppe on December 4th from 9:15am-3:30pm. Be a...
Holiday Shoppe Personal Shopper - Pair up with our Pause kiddos to help them make gift selections for their family members in the holiday shoppe.
Holiday Store Attendant - Spend the day in our Holiday Shoppe! Keep our store stocked and neat as kiddos come through with their personal shoppers.
Holiday Shoppe Gift Wrapper - Love to wrap?! This one's for you! Wrap gifts that kiddos select and package them for our families to take home.
Craft/Activity Station Leader - Lead a craft, activity or a game! As families wait for their turn to shop, there will be tons of stations to visit!
Runner/Station Helper - Want to be active? Join the runners team and help us support other volunteers and keep the day moving!
Food Team Helper - Word on the street is you're the favorite! We will have a concession stand to spread the fun! (No math required - this concession stand only has free food!)
2. Share your TALENT with us!
Donate your artistic or decorating skills! Are you super creative and want to help us create the magical experience? Reach out to us!
Donate your musical talents! Play an instrument, have a good voice or both? Come play some music or do some caroling in our lobby!
Love to shop? Shop for some of our needed food and supplies! (You can donate items or be reimbursed by Pause for the cost of items.)
3. Share your RESOURCES with us! Looking for another way to get involved?
Donate gifts for the store! We are looking for gifts to stock our store, particularly gifts for male and female caregivers. Need some ideas? Candles, socks, coffee mugs, key chains, picture frames, and notepads/journals. Amazon and Dollar Tree are great places to shop! (Ship directly to us or drop off during office hours.)
Sponsor our Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast! We’re taking this opportunity to appreciate our volunteers for all their hard work this year. We are offering a volunteer appreciation breakfast from 8:30-9:15am the morning of the event. Interested in donating coffee, juice, donuts, muffins, or pastries? Or maybe you’d prefer to cater it yourself! Either way, we would LOVE it and our volunteers will too!
Donate wrapping supplies! We will have A LOT of gifts to wrap. Consider donating holiday themed gift bags (all sizes), tissue paper, gift tags or holiday wrapping paper. Walmart or Dollar Tree have great selections!
Donate food for our concession stand! We’ve also got over 200 mouths to feed! Consider donating individually packaged cookies, chips, popcorn, healthy snacks, soda, water, or juice.
No matter the way you contribute to this event, YOU are creating an experience for kiddos to reinforce that they matter and are worthy of a magical experience. And that’s what makes the difference!
As they registered for this event, one Pause family shared, “Thank you so much!! This event makes Christmas sooo special for our family. We are so thankful especially for the shoppe. This gives the kids some investment in our family and helps us/the parents to feel loved and appreciated; especially when communication is difficult for our kiddos. Thank you!!!”
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
