You Light Up Many Lives

Thank you for visiting Rock Springs Park in Alton, Illinois during the 2008 holiday season. The spectacular light display is an annual tradition for thousands of families and reaps rewards greater than you can imagine.

Your donation to Christmas Wonderland, Inc., made after you drove into the forested park, over the illuminated bridge tunnel and up to the volunteer at the entrance, translated into achieving our mission.

We are on a mission to enable children and families to develop positive skills to meet life's challenges. One way is through solution-focused therapy at our Transitions Counseling program, a quiet professional service for families in our community who face challenges in life.

Christmas Wonderland, Inc. just gave Transitions Counseling a $500 donation. That donation came directly from yours. Thank you so much!

Brett Stawar, board member of Christmas Wonderland, Inc. and President/CEO of the Alton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau said, "We wanted to donate much of the proceeds to local charities this year. The board approved the recommendations a couple of weeks ago...and Transitions was on the list!"

Donations like yours and grants from the United Way of Greater St. Louis and Alton Woman’s Home Association enable us to subsidize the counseling fees of nearly 500 low-income clients each year. By helping them develop skills to meet life’s challenges, we join you and Christmas Wonderland, Inc. in serving our community. Youth stay in school, adults continue to work and raise healthy families and our community maintains its vibrancy.

Thanks again for supporting Christmas Wonderland. We hope next year's lights shine even brighter for you.

Father David Boase from the Episcopal Parish of Alton surprised Sandy Kelley, director of Family Foundations with a $300 check, board books and Baby Einstein videos for the young children and families her program strengthens.

Thank you so much parishioners!

Parishioner Gay Bryant (not pictured), said that the outreach efforts of the parish are geared toward helping small children and struggling families in the community by supporting programs that help them.

Family Foundations, a program of Riverbend Head Start & Family Services, provides parent education and case management to parents, and child development activities to children through regularly scheduled home visits.

Kelley said they'd use the cash for a holiday party they host for their families. It's a chance for families to be out in the world together and celebrate. Research has shown that family strengthening programs should foster social connections between families with young children. Many of our families are isolated due to a lack of transportation and low-income.

Parent group meetings at its Alton and Granite City centers round out the program's family strengthening services that are based on the Parents As Teachers model.

Oh, BABY!

We are excited to announce that Family Foundations held Infant Massage Class at its new space, 1800 East Broadway, next door to the Essic Robinson Head Start center.

Parents enjoyed learning a new way to bond with their children, and the babies loved receiving massages!

The Parent Group Meeting was the first of many. Topics for future meetings include First Aid, Potty Training, Nutrition, Shaken Baby Syndrome, Dental Health, Budgeting, Preventing Abuse, and CPR.

Family Foundations is a home-based program, but many of its families do not have access to transportation, so Family Foundations leased space at 1800 East Broadway in Alton to provide families with more opportunities to socialize and learn.

Riverbend Head Start & Family Services works diligently to provide the best services to our children and families, and we are pleased that our Family Foundations program has developed this new way of interacting with parents.

We thank the Alton Foundation for the grant that funds these opportunities for Madison County families.