“Hope is the best present of all”

For kids in the foster care system, the holidays can be lonely. But Theresa Toia has given thousands hope by showing them the magic of Christmas!

Shortly after ringing in 2006, Theresa Toia and her family were sharing their hopes for the new year. But, as so often was the case, her daughter Jessica’s thoughts weren’t on herself.

A foster care caseworker in Macomb County, Michigan, Jessica wanted to make life better for “her kids.”

“This was the second year they haven’t gotten Christmas gifts,” Jessica sighed sadly.

Theresa’s heart sank. Nothing for Christmas?

She thought of Christmases when Jessica and her sister were kids. The way their eyes lit up when they saw Santa’s presents under the tree. For a child to not know that joy . . .

“I wish I’d known sooner,” Theresa blinked back tears.

“What could you have done? Bought them all a gift?” Jessica asked.

Actually, yes, Theresa thought.

And though she didn’t yet know how, next Chr i s tmas , Theresa decided, that’s exactly what I’m going to do!

Playing Santa

Realizing even Santa has helpers, Theresa began sharing her idea with friends and family, and one after another promised, “Count me in!”

As the holidays neared, Theresa asked Jessica for a list of the ages and sizes of the kids in her and her co-workers’ care.

Then she and her elves went shopping for dolls, board games, books, pajamas . . . By the time Christmas came, they had enough gifts for 47 kids. Though privacy laws prohibited them from delivering the presents, Jessica happily recounted the children’s smiles and squeals of delight. There was the little girl who loved drawing and got a sketch pad and pencils. Her eyes grew wide, amazed that Santa had come and known exactly what she wanted. A little boy who loved cars excitedly raced outside to take his new remote-controlled car for a spin around the block. Theresa’s heart filled with joy knowing she’d helped bring some Christmas magic to kids who needed it most. But Theresa knew she couldn’t stop there. She resolved to play Santa every year so that every child in foster care could experience the joy of Christmas. And Friends of Foster Kids (Friends of Fosterkids.org), a nonprofit that provides gifts for kids in foster care, was born.

“Someone cares!”

As word spread, the number of volunteers and donations—including toys, money, even free storage space and shelving— continued to grow.

And so did the number of kids who submitted “wish lists.”

Some kids’ “dream” gifts are heartbreakingly simple: Underwear. A pair of socks.

Theresa makes sure every child gets a pair of pajamas, a hoodie and a blanket. And they each receive a true dream gift.

The gifts are all neatly wrapped and delivered in a big red Santa bag.

When one 17-year-old received his gifts—which included the tennis shoes he’d put at the top of his list—he fell silent.

“Is something wrong?” his caseworker asked.

“No,” he replied. “I’ve just never received a wrapped gift before. I’m taking this all in.”

A two-year-old girl was bursting with joy when she unwrapped a huge stuffed teddy bear. All day long she carried the bear—so big it towered over her—hugging it close.

Tears welled in a teen’s eyes as she clutched a handmade flannel blanket to her chest.

“I’ve never had my own blanket before!” she marveled.

Another girl thought she was dreaming when she opened a Barbie Dreamhouse. “Can I keep this?” she asked. “Of course!” her caseworker replied, a lump forming in her throat watching a smile spread across the girl’s face.

And it’s not just the kids who are overwhelmed by a visit from Santa Theresa.

When four young brothers were placed in foster care, their grandmother turned her life upside down to be able to raise them herself.

Giving up her apartment and buying a mobile home—then furnishing it for four kids— drained her savings.

So when a caseworker delivered four new bicycles, complete with tiny license plates imprinted with the boys’ names, the grandmother fell to her knees in tears.

“I couldn’t afford to get them Christmas gifts,” she cried. “You don’t know what this will mean to them. Thank you!”

Today, Friends of Foster Kids delivers Christmas gifts to over 1,300 kids a year and has expanded to include gifts for birthdays and graduations.

“We want to show kids they’re not forgotten. That people care and want to see them happy,” Theresa smiles. “We’re not just giving them a gift—we’re giving them hope. And isn’t that the best present of all?”

— Rachel Cosma

“Christmas is doing a little something extra someone.” for CHARLES M. SCHULZ