Sunshine Place’s Spirit of Giving Program matches families in need of gifts for their children during the December holiday season with community members who want to help. This program provides assistance to families who live in or attend the Sun Prairie Area School District.
To Receive Gifts: Family registration to receive gifts through this year’s Spirit of Giving program will be open from Sunday, November 1 – Tuesday, November 10 at 11 pm OR when we hit our capacity for this program. Scroll down to the “I Need Help” section for further information.
To Give Gifts: If you are interested in sponsoring a family through Spirit of Giving this year, sponsorship will open on Sunday, November 15th, and will remain open until all families are sponsored. Scroll down to the “I Want to Help” section for more information.
Can’t be a Sponsor? Support Spirit of Giving with a Gift Right Now!
Click the button below and enter “Spirit of Giving” in the Donor Note.
Overview: Spirit of Giving Program Process
November 1st to 10th (closes at 11 PM or when program reaches capacity). Families in need can register for the program and submit gift wishes for their children. On November 15th the database opens (accessed via this website) that shows the specific wishes of hundreds of kids from Sun Prairie families who qualify to participate. Names are kept anonymous but age, gender and school are listed.
Community members can choose children to sponsor by family (we will have families with 1 child or multiple children). Sponsors should plan to spend about $50 per child. Families get sponsored very quickly, but the database will remain open until the first week of December, or until all families are sponsored.
Once you sign-up to sponsor, you’ll receive detailed information about how and when (what time) to drop off your UNWRAPPED gifts. Gift drop-off will be on Wednesday, December 10th, at Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd, Sun Prairie, so that we can get them ready to give to the families.
Volunteers work together to make gift pick up a smooth process. Gifts will be distributed to registered families on Saturday, December 12th. Families bring their confirmation emails and drive through the parking lot of Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd, Sun Prairie to receive their gifts, never even needing to leave their cars!
Spirit of Giving | I Need Help
Who is Eligible?
Families in need of holiday gift assistance must meet the following requirements:
- Need gift assistance for children ages birth to 18
- Children must be either attending school in the Sun Prairie Area School District or living in the city of Sun Prairie, (if your child/ren do not attend school because they are not school-aged, they are home-schooled, etc.).
- Online registration will be open from Sunday, November 1st – Tuesday, November 10th at 11 pm OR until the program reaches capacity. Once you apply, you should receive a confirmation email.
How to Apply?
If your family has applied and qualified for the free or reduced lunch program for the current school year, you should be contacted by the Sun Prairie Area School District via phone, text, and/or email on November 1st, with information on how to register your family for the Spirit of Giving program.
If your family lives in Sun Prairie and you are in need of holiday gift assistance, but you did not apply or qualify for the free and reduced school lunch program, your children are not yet school-aged, or they are home-schooled, please contact spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org.
SCHEDULE FOR GIFT RECIPIENT FAMILIES:
Registration:
Family registration opens November 1st and closes November 10th at 11 PM, OR when program capacity is reached. If you have successfully registered you should receive a Spirit of Giving confirmation email. Please reach out to spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org with questions.
Gift Pick Up Information for Registered Families:
WHEN: Saturday, December 12th *Please stay tuned for times
WHERE: Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd., Sun Prairie
Please watch for signs directing traffic on the day of pick up. You will receive an email with your confirmation FAM number and pick up information. This email is REQUIRED for gift pick up.
If the registered family member cannot make it on the pick up date, they should send someone with their Spirit of Giving confirmation email to pick up gifts for their family. All gifts must be picked up on distribution day during the designated time.
Spirit of Giving | I Want to Help
What Does it Mean to be a Spirit of Giving Sponsor?
Make a local family’s December holidays a bit more magical this year by sponsoring gifts for their children. Sponsor one family, or several! Spirit of Giving sponsors are committing to purchasing and dropping off gifts for ALL children in their sponsored family, helping us ensure each child in a sponsored family receives a gift to celebrate the holidays.
In addition to community member sponsorships, Spirit of Giving partners with several area businesses, organizations, and churches who provide funding, and help us ensure every child on our list is sponsored for a gift. If you choose someone to sponsor at your church, you may be working with Sunshine Place’s Spirit of Giving Program to help Sun Prairie kids! If you are a business, church, or other organization that would like to sponsor families for Spirit of Giving, or make a donation to our progam, please contact spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org.
SPONSOR SCHEDULE
Choose a Family to Sponsor:
The Spirit of Giving database of families to sponsor opens on Sunday, November 15th and will remain open until every family is sponsored. A link to sign up as a sponsor will be posted to the top of this web page when sponsorship opens.
Gift Purchasing:
- You are committing to purchase a gift for every child in the family you choose to sponsor.
- Each child’s wish list includes 1-2 items. You may choose any items from the wish list spending approximately $50 per child. If you are not able to find the exact wishes within this amount, something similar is perfectly acceptable.
Gift Drop-Off:
Sponsors must drop off all gifts at Heartland Church, 800 Wilburn Rd, Sun Prairie, on Wednesday, December 10th, to be prepped for distribution. *Please stay tuned for drop-off times. Drop-off will be set up as a drive-through and volunteers will come to your car to collect your gifts. Gifts should be:
- UNWRAPPED but you may put gifts inside of a holiday gift bag if you choose (no tissue paper please)
- Place each child’s unwrapped gifts in their own bag – gift bag or otherwise – and label each bag with the child number (Child 1, Child 2, etc.). Next, place that bag in a larger family bag and label the larger bag with the family number (i.e. FAM-004). It is VERY IMPORTANT that you label each child’s bag and their corresponding family bag.
Please email spiritofgiving@sunshineplace.org if you have questions or would like more information.
Support Spirit of Giving with a Gift
Click the button below and enter “Spirit of Giving” in the Donor Note.