BE A SANTA

Be A Santa// www.beasanta.org

Be A Santa is an awesome opportunity for you to help keep the hope alive this Christmas season for 104 teenagers in the San Fernando Valley who have been sexually, physically and emotionally abused to the point where they are incapable of being placed in foster care.  Their home is the Penny Lane Home for Children.  Penny Lane provides these teenagers with a home to live, learn and be cared for as they recover from the trauma they have faced in their lives.
Penny Lane was started in 1969 by Evalise Markovitz to care for these children who nobody wanted to take in.  Penny Lane provides these children with therapy and nurtures them through a structured curriculum.  One big goal of the home is to empower these kids and give them the self-confidence they deserve.  Penny Lane owns and operates 9 group homes for these young men and women.  There is an onsite special education school that the adolescents' attend.  There are also outpatient mental health clinics that offer therapy to these children for free as well as a Transitional Housing Program that helps these kids secure an apartment and begin their lives even though they are otherwise homeless.

Be A Santa// www.beasanta.org

The 'Be A Santa' program was started 11 years ago by professional actor Patricia Tallman.  She befriended Markovitz and began compiling donations to personally put together a bag full of stocking stuffers and a gift card to the local mall for each teenager.  They also put trees in the homes and provided money that is put towards having a holiday party.  Each year, the Be A Santa program needs to make about $15,000 to make this happen.  Donations are accepted any time during the year.

Be A Santa// www.beasanta.org

This program lives off of donations and this would be a great cause to donate to as they are having financial struggles this year.  The idea of these teenagers not being able to have this wonderful of a holiday is very saddening to me.  These 'tough' kids are given the opportunity to light up on Christmas day when they are given their goodie bags.  You helping out with this organization will help you be an angel for these kids who have been written off as hopeless in the past.
The web site highlights what they need to make their goal this holiday of providing all these gifts to these kids.  You can donate financially and you can also donate items such as stuffed animals and comforters to put in their goodie bags.