Lilliput Families Gets Halloween Goodies from Women’s Club

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - “Change a child’s life, so they can change the future.” This is the motto of Lilliput Families, now a part of Wayfinder Family Services.

During their first in-person meeting in months, women of the Citrus Heights Women’s Club (General Federation of Women’s Clubs), met under the trees at Rusch Park in Citrus Heights on October 7, to help brighten the lives of many of those children here in Citrus Heights.

Club members assembled sixty colorful Halloween goodie bags full of candy and other prizes for Lilliput families. A Venmo fundraising challenge provided funds to make this special project possible.

The Halloween bags were delivered to the main office in Citrus Heights to the delight of staff. Anything that can brighten the day or fill a need of a child blesses their foster and adoptive parents as well.

This is not the first collaboration between women club ladies and Lilliput. Mandy Buechner, president of this club and of Sutter District (comprised of 11 clubs), adopted Lilliput as the district’s project for her term of office as president. Since 2018 district clubs have contributed to Lilliput.

After Lilliput’s main office relocated to Citrus Heights one club invited Doni DeBolt, Director of Community Relations, to speak to its members about what they do to serve families and how members can help. Passing this information on to other clubs, district members were ready to answer the call when a disaster affected Lilliput families.

After the Paradise fire in November of 2018, Lilliput worked with their offices in Redding and Chico as Sutter District members responded to the need with clothes, toiletries, blankets and toys when 20 of their family’s homes were destroyed. One father, a handyman lost all his tools in the fire but they were quickly replaced by club members.

Since Lilliput’s inception in 2000 more than 54,000 children have found forever homes in 400 cities throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

On July 1, Lilliput merged with Los Angeles based Wayfinder whose resources include five group homes for children and adults.

Lilliput is a private, non-profit agency licensed by the state of California. They offer foster, adoption and kinship care community-based programs serving 250 to 300 families in the larger Sacramento Area and 13 offices servicing multiple counties throughout California.

Their Kinship program works with grandparents and other extended family members to help children remain with their families and to keep siblings together.  Early intervention for youth at risk, including older teenagers, also provides services to teach parents the skills they need to help their children avoid entering the foster care system.

Unique special needs of families are met, such as an air purifier needed for a child whose asthma from birth was exasperated following the recent fires in Napa and Sonoma Counties. An air purifier and surface disinfecting machine was located and donated by Nina Daya Consulting with naturespurityhealth.com.

November is National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day is Saturday, November 21.

Life has been especially challenging for Lilliput family members during Covid-19. Having all family members within their homes 24/7 has been hard but resources to help families cope have been made available while maintaining all Covid-19 safety precautions. 

Community members can help make life easier for these families by participating in Lilliput’s 2020 ‘Spare One for the Kids’ (virtual) 13^th annual bowling fundraiser on November 12, from 6:00 – 6:45 p.m. All money raised will help fund foster and kinship programs.

For more information visit Lilliput.org; or call (916) 678-7254. Visit chwomensclub.com or on Facebook at GFWC Citrus Heights Women’s Club

Source: awarenessdays.com; Lilliput/Wayfinder.