Wayland Middle School PTO is asking for your help this holiday season.  Did you know that there are tweens and teens in Metrowest who don’t live with their own families or foster families? These kids reside at Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, an organization that provides housing, support, and education to children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma. And for the first time, the Wayland Middle School PTO invites you to join them in a new way to give to those in need!

 

With this specially created Amazon.com wish list, you can help make the holidays brighter, one child at a time, by selecting a gift chosen by a child and having it shipped directly to Wayside. Take a look at the list—it has footballs, nail polish, hoodies, and all the other things kids aged 11-17 dream of getting for the holidays. Most gifts are under $40, and all are 100% tax deductible.

 

 

“For the last few years, I’ve been a volunteer special education advocate with the Federation for Children with Special Needs, representing kids whose parents have had their parental rights terminated, usually because of severe abuse and neglect,” said Colleen Mornewick, Wayland Middle School PTO President.  “Because teenagers are often difficult to place in foster homes, and these kids often have behavioral issues that make placement even more difficult, they end up living in group homes or sometimes in more institutional settings. During the holidays, which they spend in group homes or residential treatment centers with staff, many have no family contact at all.”

 

“I learned that during past holidays, the staff has been pooling their own money to buy gifts for the kids, and that’s where the Middle School PTO has stepped in, with a new gift drive to purchase presents that the kids have selected. This is not a group of kids that gets a lot of attention, and they can be hard to deal with—those of us with tweens and teenagers can understand that all too well. But every kid deserves to have something special at the holidays, something they want, and to know that someone out there cares.  Please take a look at the list and pick out an item or two—or even better, have your own children join you.”