Donor Gives the Gift of Christmas Magic

Last December, Blue Print Store and Gallery adopted 31 grieving children from ten different families through their connection with Faith Presbyterian Hospice (FPH) with the magical gift of Christmas. Each child recently lost a close family member and needed extra support this holiday season. Blue Print and their generous customers collected donations and were able to give each child just what they asked for and more!

From a pair of purple crocs, to a bag of athletic balls

From a new winter jacket, to a new fishing pole

From personal care items, to Barbie dolls and Pokémon

From “big girl makeup,” to two boys just wanting “snacks”

Gifts were personalized for each child.

“We love using our platform to give back to the community, especially around the holidays, and helping those who have had an especially difficult year. This Christmas, we were honored to partner with FPH to bless 31 kids with gifts they wished for and other items they needed. We couldn’t be more grateful to our Blue Print friends and family who gave generously to provide a touch of Christmas magic for these deserving kids in the midst of their grief. Thank you for giving us this opportunity!” – Blue Print Store and Gallery 

Blue Print created and shared an Amazon Wish List with their employees and customers. The gifts were shipped directly to their warehouse and hand-sorted by their team members. The dedicated group of Blue Print teammates delivered more than 500 gifts to the T. Boone Pickens Hospice Center on December 21. These gifts were sorted, boxed and ready to be distributed to the appropriate families. In addition to the special wish list items, each family received personal care items and a $100 gift card to apply to making memories by participating in fun family experiences. FPH teammates played Santa by personally delivering the gifts to each family and were welcomed with tears of joy, hugs, smiles and expressions of relief. One young mother shared that she planned to tell her teenage sons that the gifts were from the local community because, “they need to know that even though their father isn’t here, they are surrounded by a loving community that cares for them.” Another family member stated, “I wasn’t expecting to raise my niece and nephews. But they provided more than gifts – they gave us our first holiday together as a new family.”

“Blue Print has been so incredibly generous. We are grateful for them and their generous customers who purchased gifts our children specifically asked for and it is extremely powerful when a child feels heard and seen. Blue Print went above and beyond our expectations. When they learned that one family recently lost their Christmas tree and ornaments, they also gifted a new Christmas tree!” – Sarah Jones, Forefront Living Foundation Philanthropy Coordinator

The Child and Family Bereavement Team at FPH utilizes the art practice of Kintsugi when working with children in the program. Kintsugi, which means “joining with gold,” is the Japanese art of breaking pottery and then putting it back together by painting the cracks with gold. Kintsugi is built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create a stronger, more beautiful piece of art. With this idea, hope is offered in healing. In the process of repairing broken things, we actually create something more unique, more beautiful and more whole.

Last month, each of these children experienced their first Christmas without a significant loved one. While nothing that can be purchased or wrapped to fill the hole they have in their hearts, support from Blue Print and the team at FPH, ensured that Christmas was not empty. Our most sincere thanks are extended to the team and customers at Blue Print for bringing JOY to these families and for helping to paint their cracks with gold.