The owners, management, and staff of The Incredible Christmas Place and The Inn at Christmas Place believe that one aspect of celebrating the spirit of Christmas every day of the year is sharing from our bounty with those in need. We give back to the community in many ways, from donations of company funds or store gift certificates to staging and participating in fund raising events and item donations from staff. You can imagine the many requests we receive each year, and we give just as much as we can.
Here are just a few of the groups with which we have participated, either corporately or privately, and others that we believe are doing good work for children and the community. Before you make any donation decisions, we encourage you to research organizations through a site like Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, or the Better Business Bureau or Secretary of State for your locality.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, www.bgctnv.org. “Our mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, www.etch.com. “Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, we are a private, independent, not-for-profit pediatric medical center that has served the children of East Tennessee since 1937. We are also certified by the state of Tennessee as the only Comprehensive Regional Pediatric Center in East Tennessee.”
Friends of the Smokies, www.friendsofthesmokies.org. “Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park assists the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park by raising funds and public awareness, and by providing volunteers for needed projects.”
Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries, www.smarm.org. “Our Mission: To rescue our needy neighbors by providing recovery services in Jesus’ name.”
The Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation, www.drthomasfoundation.org. “Named in his honor, the Dr. Robert F. Thomas Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization established in 1983 to help expand the range and quality of health care services available in Sevier County.”
Sevier County Humane Society, www.petfinder.com/shelters/TN97.html. A non-profit organization offering pet refuge and intervention, adoption and placement, cruelty investigation, humane education, and lost & found pet services.
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, www.knoxvillesymphony.com. “The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is a full symphonic orchestra, supporting a core of full-time professional musicians, led by talented conductors. The KSO performs more than 200 concerts each season in traditional and non-traditional venues throughout East Tennessee. The KSO reaches more than 160,000 children and adults each year.”
Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic, http://www.mountainhope.org/. “Mountain Hope’s purpose is to provide accessible, affordable and quality primary health care of the medically uninsured and other individuals who can not be served by other resources in the community.”
Relay for Life, www.relayforlife.org/relay. “The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported and that one day – cancer will be eliminated.” We invite you to donate to our Christmas Place Staff Relay Team; look for us at www.relayforlife.org/seviertn.
Break The Cycle, www.breakthecycle.org, and The Safe Space, www.thesafespace.org. “Our Mission: Break the Cycle engages, educates and empowers youth to build lives and communities free from domestic and dating violence. Get Help! You have a right to be free from fear and free from harm. Learn more by visiting The Safe Space.”
Make a Wish Foundation, www.wish.org. “We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.”
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, www.toysfortots.org. “The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.”
Operation Christmas Child, www.samaritanspurse.org, Samaritan’s Purse. “Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. This program of Samaritan’s Purse provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands-on mission project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ.”
Angel Tree, www.angeltree.org, Prison Fellowship Ministries. “At Christmastime, volunteers from your church purchase and deliver gifts to the children of inmates in their parent’s name.”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org. “Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases….where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay.”
Ronald McDonald House Charities, http://www.rmhc.com/. “For nearly 35 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) has been creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well being of children worldwide. RMHC is making a global impact on the most pressing problems facing families today. Our approach is to think globally, but act locally by tailoring our programs to address the most pressing need of each community we serve.”
Give Kids the World Village – www.gktw.org. “Give Kids The World is a non-profit organization that exists only to fulfill the wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world to experience a memorable, joyful, cost-free visit to the Central Florida attractions, and to enjoy the magic of Give Kids The World Village for as long as there is a need.”
Worcester Wreath Company, www.wreathsacrossamerica.org, “Remember, Honor, Teach.” This organization provides decorated wreaths for placement by volunteers on the graves of veterans across the country each December, “to express appreciation for the past, present, and future sacrifices our Veterans and their families make for this country.”
America Supports You, www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/letters_messages.html, “a Department of Defense program that provides opportunities for citizens to show their support for the US Armed Forces. The program was launched in 2004 in an effort to highlight citizen support for our military men and women and communicate that support to the members of our Armed Forces at home and abroad.”
American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes, http://www.redcross.org/email/saf/. “The American Red Cross/Pitney Bowes Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign will collect more than a million holiday cards from people across the United States. The cards will be screened, sorted and respectfully delivered into the hands of wounded warriors, service members, military families and veterans.”
Here’s to the season – and the privilege – of giving back!
