NIA & MS Adopt-A-Family Fundraiser 2019
For several years, we've run a successful Adopt-A-Family program for the holidays. For the second year in a row, Northern Indiana Atheists teamed up with Michiana Skeptics to build on that success. Past donations have purchased holiday gifts for children, helped families with food insecurities, and even paid bills to keep utilities on over the cold holiday months.
The donation stream was mainly through Facebook this year, but NIA opened up the Donation Portal on our website to accept donations as well. With the money we raised, we were able to help four families. We ended up raising $1,021 through Facebook and $200 through our website, for a total of $1,221. Unlike other charities that collect buckets of money from the community, 100% of the donations we collected went to help local families in need right here in our community.
FAMILY 1
This family has been having a rough time for a while and was going to have nothing for their kids for Christmas. These gifts are for a 16 year old, a 4 year old, and a 6 month old. The parents both cried tears of joy as they loaded the gifts into their car. You all made this happen. Happy Holidays, no matter how you celebrate!
FAMILY 2
All this mom wanted was warm comforters for her kids’ beds, some clothes for them, and a couple of small items. She wanted to be in the photo and expressed her thanks to everyone involved in our Adopt-A-Family event. Thank you all for helping us help this family. Happy Holidays!
FAMILY 3
We were able to help a family having trouble making ends meet during the holidays. For a while they have been struggling to buy much-needed medications for the daughter who has had multiple brain surgeries and for the parents, who also have medication needs. They received a disconnect notice from Indiana Michigan Power and drained their bank account just to keep the lights on. All they asked for was for money to be put toward utilities so they could concentrate on buying meds and preparing for the next brain surgery. A message from the family read, “You have no idea how much peace of mind this gives me at this moment. It's like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!”
FAMILY 4
An NIA member who works at a local school suggested we help this student's family. They are currently living in a hotel after surviving a house fire last month. As you can imagine, their needs are immense. We told the family how much money we were able to give them to buy whatever they needed, which ranged from basic self-care items to food. The mother noted, “The help you have given us took a lot of the stress off our situation and brightened our holidays! Please wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
For NIA, belief or lack thereof is never a factor when helping families in need for the holidays.
Northern Indiana Atheists is a nonprofit established to fight state/church violations on a local level and defend the rights of atheists and other marginalized communities across Northern Indiana.
Membership is open to atheists and our allies who share our vision for a government that represents all citizens equally and our passion for serving our community. Your membership and donations amplify our voice and makes our impact even stronger. Become a member today at NorthernIndianaAtheists.com.