Please read this information COM

Christmas Adopt-A-Family Program

Family Form

Please read this information BEFORE completing the form.

This organization is located in the Kansas City, MO area, and serves our Members (foster/adoptive families living in Missouri and Kansas) only. If you live outside of our service area, please check with your local Salvation Army, city information resources, and churches to find a similar program in your area.

MFCAA is pleased to offer you the opportunity to participate in our Christmas program again this year. Last year, with the help of generous community donors, we offered an amazing program. More than 900 children were served. We expect to find the same wonderful community Christmas spirit again this year.

Typical donors to MFCAA children and families are individual families who have average resources, but want to make a difference in a child’s holiday experience. For that reason, we respectfully ask that you keep your requests practical and reasonable. Plasma televisions, expensive game systems, and high dollar name brand clothing are not only out of reach for us as foster/adoptive parents, but they are also out of reach for the majority of American families. MFCAA staff working on the project will be instructed to remove any unreasonable items from the provided request lists, prior to their distribution to donors.

It is important that you fill out and return your forms as early as possible, and no later than November 15, 2008. We know that it’s hard to think about Christmas in the summer, but the sooner we receive your forms, the sooner we can recruit donors to assist. We recognize that lots can happen between now and Christmas so please keep us updated as placements change in your home. If you need to contact MFCAA about changes to a previously submitted form, you can e-mail Shandra or contact our office at 816-350-0215. Our staff works hard for many months to serve all of the families who need help during the holidays. Your assistance will result in a great holiday experience for all of the children and families of MFCAA.

This program serves as a supplement to what families can afford to provide to their children—you should not plan to receive all of your children’s gifts through this program.**Donors are assigned randomly, according to the number of people/family type requested by the donor. You will most likely not be paired with the donor this year that you were paired with last year.

Please note: Not all donors provide gifts listed under “Family Wants”, so it is best not to count on receiving those items.

Eligibility:

· This program is designed to serve foster/adoptive or court ordered kinship families. Children ages 18 and under, currently LIVING IN YOUR HOME, qualify. Proof of MFCAA membership will be required at the time of application (Current MFCAA membership forms must be on file in our office to process your requests for Christmas assistance). If you have not completed a membership application, or you believe that yours may be out of date, please Complete an Online Membership Form or call the office to receive one in the mail (816-350-0215).

· .

· *If your children are already going to be served by some other holiday assistance program (like Red Bags or Corporate Christmas), they will not qualify for this program. We will be cross referencing the other programs, and reserve the right to remove children that are on another program's list.

Instructions:

Please do not ask for gift cards, request clothes, cds, etc by name/description.
Do NOT request CD's that will have an "explicit" or "parental warning' on them, and do NOT request R-rated movies.
Be as specific as possible. For example, if your daughter wants earrings, include a descriptions such as "small silver hoop earrings".
Ask for appropriately priced items ($30 or less per item). MFCAA staff may remove excessively expensive requests.
Please be respectful of our donors when making requests... do not ask for cars, new jobs or trips to Vegas.
Look for information on where to pick up gifts in our Nov and Dec newsletter, and on the Christmas Program page of the website.
SUBMIT FORMS NO LATER THAN NOV. 15. If forms are submitted after Nov. 15, we cannot guarantee that your family will be matched with a donor.
YOU MUST CONFIRM YOUR STATUS: You will receive either a confirmation email or postcard within 2 weeks of submitting the form. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A AN EMAIL OR POSTCARD, THAT MAY MEAN WE DID NOT RECEIVE YOUR FORM AND YOU WILL NOT BE MATCHED WITH A DONOR. If you do not receive the confirmation, please call us (816-813-6686) to double check on your information. Help us make sure you have a smooth and happy pick-up day by confirming that we have received and processed your information. Thanks!

Christmas Family Form
This form may take a while to fill out, depending on the number of children you include. Please make sure you allow yourself 15-30 minutes to complete it.

Most of the fields are required, as we need them to give the donor as much information as possible (so that they can get gifts your kids will really love). You may want to look over the form and ask your kids any questions you don't know the answers to, before you begin.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have more than 5 kids, you may want to print a form and mail it to us. The online form accommodates information for up to 5 children, so you will have to "submit" for the first five kids, then fill out the entire form again (including the Family Information Section) for the remaining kids.

Please fill in the following fields:

I agree that I have read and understand the information and instructions listed above.

NOTICE: THE DEADLINE FOR SIGNING UP FOR THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM WAS NOV. 15. ANY FORMS RECEIVED AFTER NOV. 15 WILL BE PRINTED AND ENTERED IN OUR DATABASE, HOWEVER WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOUR FAMILY WILL BE MATCHED WITH A DONOR.

Donors will not see the information in the Family Information section.
FAMILY INFORMATION

Your Name (first&last)

Street

City

State

Zip

Phone

Alt Phone

Household Income

Number of Adults

Number of Children

Are you interested in having contact with donor/company/individual who has adopted your family?

(Some donors like to deliver the gifts themselves or communicate with you) Yes No

FAMILY REQUESTS

Needs are practical items such as mop, detergent, paper towels, etc (if you prefer a specific brand, please list it)
Wants are "fun" items the whole family can enjoy such as board games, toaster, bath towels, etc (please be descriptive with colors, sizes etc)
Please note again that we cannot accommodate requests that cost more than $30. If requests are made that cost more than $30, they will be removed from your list. Thanks!

Needs (no gift cards, $30 or less each):

Wants (no gift cards, $30 or less each):

CHILDREN'S REQUESTS

Children’s Sizes—please keep in mind that you are filling this form out a couple of months before the children will receive the gifts. If your child’s size is likely to change between now and December, please list the size you expect the child to be in December. Please list “girls”, “boys”, “toddler”, “junior”, “adult”, etc, along with the size
Bedding—If you request bedding, please indicate “twin”, “full”, “queen”, etc, and include the color/design you prefer
Child’s Needs– the child’s needs are necessary items such as socks, underwear, coat, etc
Child’s Wants—the child’s wants are “fun” items such as toys, music, games, books, etc
Favorite Character—examples: princesses, Star Wars, Mylie Cyrus, GI Joe, NASCAR, favorite sports team
Activities– fishing, sports, ballet, scrapbooking, piano, drawing, etc

Note: Children's race and foster/adopted/biological status will not be listed on the information provided to the donor. Please do not include children's last names, as that information will also not be provided to donors. When listing gift requests, PLEASE BE SPECIFIC (don't just put pants, put "pants - brown cargo" or something like that) - the donor may not be able to find the item exactly as you list it, but it will make it much easier for the donor to pick something your child will like.

Child First Name: Age: Gender: F M

Race: This Child Is: Foster Adopted Biological