There's a place in our town where kids go after they are removed from their homes by Child Protective Services—it's basically a halfway house until they go into foster care. There's nothing fun there; no toys to play with or anything interesting to do.
So twice a year (summer and Christmas), our small group takes tons of fun stuff to those kids. We bring balls and toys and craft materials and journals and books—anything we can get our hands on. Then we just hang out and play.
One of our group members takes her scrapbooking items and helps the kids make cards or bookmarks. Some of the guys go outside to play kickball or football. One Christmas we took each child a brand-new, wrapped Christmas gift. There were about 50 kids at the time, so it was an investment. But they loved it, and it was worth every penny. The next year we told them the Christmas story and gave them Santa hats and candy canes.
The best part of every visit is the end, when I say, "Does anyone want a hug?" That's when the dog-piling begins!
