Make a Difference this Holiday Season
As our team meets with new Pause families and has the honor of hearing their stories for the first time, a common theme we hear is the struggle with isolation. Families with kids who have extra needs can often miss out on community events others engage in. Oftentimes, events in the community are inaccessible to special needs families for many reasons… too many exits, elevated crowd noise, stroller/wheelchair accessibility, judgment when kids are struggling with sensory overload or availability of relevant activities for all members of the family.
Because families shared those struggles with us in our early years, our team developed Family Fun events and plans those with the whole family in mind - no matter a child’s diagnosis or story. We also know how essential it is for families to have fun together as they can create memories, strengthen their family bonds and even increase self-esteem!
We are excited to announce that the most popular Family Fun event is just around the corner! The North Pole Holiday Shoppe is only 39 days away! <Insert Buddy the Elf doing a happy dance!>
We need YOUR help to make it happen for our families!
1. Share your TIME with us! Volunteer at the Holiday Shoppe on December 3rd.
Volunteer as 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 Shoppe 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 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 runner 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 for babies, kids, teens, moms, dads and pets! 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, Amazon or Dollar Tree have great selections!
Donate food for our concession stand! We’ve also got over 500 mouths to feed! Consider donating individually packaged cookies, chips, popcorn, healthy snacks, water, or juice.
Help move families from isolation to connection this holiday season and get involved with the Pause Holiday Shoppe! It’s an easy and FUN way to make a difference and the smiles make it all worth it!
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
