Each year around the holidays, the S.M. Wright Foundation makes headlines with its Christmas in the Park at Fair Park when it provides thousands of children with all types of wonderful gifts. Without the Foundation and its supporters, these children would have a pretty bleak Christmas.
But there are more than toys that are provided. For instance, Natalie and Mike McGuire’s daughter, Highland Park High School student Maddy McGuire, created the “Coats for Kids” program to provide warm coats for children in need. Just this past year 3,000 new coats were distributed at Christmas in the Park. To help her achieve this number, Maddy created the S.M. Wright Club at HPHS. Thanks to the volunteers, they were able to provide the coats plus a check for $19,240 to the Foundation.
What many folks don’t realize is that the Foundation’s efforts extend beyond the holiday gift-giving season. The Foundation discovered that children were in need of beds “to get a good night’s sleep,” so the Bed for Kids program was undertaken to provide twin- and full-size mattresses, box springs and frames for qualifying families.
This Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon, pre-approved families will pick up their beds. However, the need has far exceeded the demand.
According to S.M. Wright Foundation President/Co-Founder/CEO Rev. S.M. Wright II, “Beds for Kids began in 2010 and since then, we have distributed more than 6,360 bed sets to underprivileged kids in our community. Unfortunately, the demand far exceeds the Foundation’s ability to supply beds and there is still a long waiting list of more than 4,200 kids.”
To ramp up the effort, the Foundation is using Saturday to also launch the 1st Annual S.M. Wright Beds for Kids Campaign.
As S.M. Wright II revealed, “The good news is an anonymous donor has given a $40,000 matching pledge, so each $1.00 donated by the public will equal $2.00 in support of that goal. The campaign runs through September 30, 2016, so we encourage the public to visit our website and donate today to help the children in our community.”
A $165 donation will provide a new twin bed set and a full-size bed can be provided for $200.
The vetting process of who gets a bed is strictly monitored — “To qualify, a family must complete an application, show proof of income and residency, provide a valid birth certificate for each child, and meet Texas Commodity Assistance Program income requirements. After the application has been processed, a foundation staff member or community service partner representative visits the family’s residence to verify the need for a bed. Upon approval, the family can pick up the bed from the foundation’s warehouse. Approximately one month after the bed is received, the foundation staff member visits again to make sure the bed is being put to good use and to inform the family about other foundation resources.”
So far the following organizations have supported the Beds for Kids program: A-Z Therapy, Child Protective Services – Dallas, Tarrant and Collin County, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas Healthy Start, Dallas Housing Authority, Dallas ISD, Desoto ISD, El Centro College/Adult Resource Center, Genesis Women Shelter, Head Start of Greater Dallas, Healing Heart Center, Home Sweet Home/The Salvation Army, Kipp Truth Elementary, Lancaster ISD, Lumin Bachman Lake Community School, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Clinic, Methodist Children’s Home Outreach, Metro Care, Parkland Outpatient Clinic, Psychological Social Services and Homeless Education Program, Rosemont Mission Trail, St. Vincent De Paul Collin County, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Texas Department of Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Well Care.
* Graphic and photo provided by S.M. Wright Foundation