As the holidays quickly approach, a Connecticut woman is lending a hand to Santa.
Remi Borak began the Will Santa Find Me? Foundation in 1988 after learning the story of two young brothers who were staying at a domestic violence shelter.
"Back in 1988 there were two little boys that were afraid Santa wouldn't find them because they weren't going to be home for the holidays," she said.
Borak said she wanted to ensure that the children were not overlooked, so she decided to give Santa a little help.
"I brought two tricycles with my family and we put it underneath the tree at the shelter," she said. "Neighbors and friends -- when I told them the story -- they all loved it. And I said, 'Well, let's do this,' and so we started doing it every year."
Since its inception in 1988, the charity has continued to grow and helps children who are at local hospitals and shelters on Christmas.
"The hospital social workers actually help us, and the domestic violence personnel that work there," Borak said. "They will give us the exact wish list. We have a form that gets out to the families. They pick the worst cases."
The Will Santa Find Me? Foundation works off the families exact wish lists.
"What makes us different from other organizations is that we keep hopes and dreams alive through the miracle -- the miracle of Santa, and that they get their exact wishes, exact wishes for the whole family, not just for the child who's suffering," she said.
Borak said that the foundation helps the siblings and parents of the affected child, and is assisting 32 families this season.
The gifts are bought from the family's wish list and then wrapped and sent out. Borak said she rarely gets to see the delight on the child's face when the gifts are opened.
"We don't get to talk to them," she said.
Borak said that not all of the presents the foundations hands out fit under the Christmas tree. She said that some families' needs are larger than what can fit in a box.
"We've had a family that actually asked for a van. They wrote us for a Barbie doll, but in their story they said they have seven children," she said. "We had another family in Vermont that all she wanted to do was to go to Disney World and so we were able to make that dream come true."
Although all of the gifts have been distributed for this year, Borak said the foundation still has some lingering bills.
"What we're looking for right now is financial donations, because a lot of the things didn't come in and we had to go out and put it on the business credit card," she said.
For more information about the Will Santa Find Me? Foundation, visit its
Web site.To donate specifically to the Will Santa Find Me? cause, put the organization's name in the memo section of the check. Donors should also indicate if they would like the money to be used locally.
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