Clark County's GIVE JOY Holiday Toy and Gift Card Drive hosted its grand opening this weekend, and by the end of the month will serve all 3,200 children in foster care. With 153 community donors providing toys, gift cards, and laptops helping to ensure every child experiences holiday joy, the 15th annual toy and gift card kickoff distribution event took place Saturday, December 13, at GIVE JOY Headquarters, a warehouse space donated by Prologis. Distribution of gifts to foster children is continuing throughout the month.
The community-driven initiative united 153 donors and 317 volunteers who provided new toys, gift cards, and technology resources to ensure every child in the County's foster care system received gifts this holiday season.
“We are incredibly grateful to our community partners, donors, and volunteers who came together to make this year's GIVE JOY event a tremendous success,” said Jennifer Erbes, Family Services Manager for Clark County Family Services. “The generosity and compassion demonstrated by our community ensures that children in foster care know they are valued and loved during the holiday season. We encourage community members who were touched by this event to consider becoming foster parents. With only 384 licensed foster homes currently serving our community, we need additional families to provide safe, caring placements for children in crisis.”
While GIVE JOY brings holiday cheer to children in foster care, the need for support extends year-round. The County needs additional foster families and I-CARE providers—emergency on-call foster parents who can provide immediate placement for children in crisis. For more information about becoming a foster parent or I-CARE provider, visit clarkcountyfostercare.com.
In a significant highlight of this year's event, AT&T and the RennerVation Foundation provided 200 refurbished laptops to teenagers in foster care through their partnership with Human-I-T, helping to bridge the digital divide for teens in foster care.
“AT&T is proud to collaborate with the RennerVation Foundation and their mission to support Nevada's foster youth and to help close the digital divide in northern Nevada,” said Omar Saucedo, Director External Affairs for AT&T Nevada. “Access to connectivity is vital in helping to bridge the digital divide and we are glad we can provide these resources to those that need them most.”
The laptop distribution is part of AT&T's initiative to address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption, with a commitment of $5 billion to help 25 million people get and stay connected to high-speed internet by 2030.
Program sponsors for GIVE JOY include Prologis, Picerne Real Estate Group, StageHouse Las Vegas, Solutions USA, Amazon, AT&T, and the RennerVation Foundation. Share in the JOY, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, serves as the officially recognized fiscal partner for Clark County Family Services foster care events.