Holiday Cheer & Christmas Baskets at Ten16
Every December 25th, Ten16 has people wake up away from their families on Christmas day. Their life had gotten so unmanageable that they realized they needed to put their recovery first, or they might not make it to next year's holiday. These are hard decisions to make. The urge to leave is strong. All of the hurt and shame churn, and they struggle with the notion that maybe they could make it better if they left treatment, got the "perfect" present, and surprised their loved ones. Or it could be the opposite - the weight of that hurt and shame becomes increasingly unbearable. The need to escape that feeling could drive them to a return to use instead of to the toy store.
At Ten16, we walk alongside those participating in our residential treatment and recovery housing programs, helping them get through the holidays and remain focused on giving themselves the gift of recovery. To encourage them, we have a tradition of having a gift basket under the tree for each person—nothing fancy—a new hat, gloves, scarf, personal hygiene products, etc. Our Board members contribute a thermal travel mug for all of them as part of it.
To do all three facilities, we would like to have 35 baskets ready to go on Christmas morning. With the rising costs, we have set a budget of $80 per basket. We do the shopping so that we can have gender-specific, personalized baskets. We wrap all the items too, so they are ready to go that special morning.
This holiday season, we have set a goal of $2,800 for the baskets & festivities. We have an anonymous donor who will match the first 5 baskets that are given. Some members of our Board have also offered to do a subsequent match for the following ten baskets after that.
Will you join us in letting these folks know that they have made the right choice and that we believe in their recovery? We look forward to your gift!