Giftmart Blesses Families with Dignity and Education

On December 14, Giftmarts will be held at four area elementary schools, benefiting the families of those four schools and three others in East Aurora and Joliet.   For over a decade, these Giftmarts have provided the gift of dignity by collecting more than 90,000 toys and selling them at a cost of $2 per toy to parents who would not otherwise have been able to purchase presents during the holiday season.  The Giftmarts also paved the way for these communities to provide the gift of education to their children by donating the proceeds back to their schools, resulting in the purchase of much needed library books, computers, musical instruments and other supplies.

Toy and monetary donations are critical to the success of the Giftmart program.  Donations of new, unwrapped toys for elementary aged children ranging from $6-$20 (no stuffed animals or board games please) are being accepted through December 12 at the Yellow Box location of Community Christian Church, 1635 Emerson Lane in Naperville, at Trinity Christian School, 901 Emerson Drive in Shorewood, and at over 120 local businesses throughout the area.  Monetary donations can be made online at www.communitygiftmart.org.

This year, Giftmarts will be held on December 14 from 10:00AM to 1PM; East Aurora Giftmarts will be located at Brady and Bardwell Elementary Schools and will also benefit the families whose children attend Rollins and Beaupre Elementary Schools.  Joliet Giftmarts will take place at Isaac Singleton and Sator Sanchez Elementary Schools and will also benefit the families whose children attend AO Marshall Elementary School.  Giftmart is partnering with Hands of Hope of Illinois, which will provide free food to the first 500 families who show up to Giftmarts in Joliet.

When parents come to Giftmart, they are greeted and given live entertainment, coffee, doughnuts and hot chocolate while they wait. They are oriented on the Giftmart process in both English and Spanish. Children enjoy a program while their parents shop. After parents have finished shopping, free gift-wrapping is available before they are reunited with their children.

Community 4:12, a ministry of Community Christian Church, began the Giftmart in 2003.  Since then, the event has multiplied in the Chicago suburbs and has brought many additional churches into the fold of reproducing. This year Orchard Community Church, Judson Memorial Baptist Church, The Village Christian Church, and First Baptist Church of Minooka will contribute their time and donations to the success of this event.