THE HOLIDAY PROJECT--People Being with People

Each year, many of the more than two rni l l ion people confinedto hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons, are alone andforgotten during the holiday season. At the same tine, manyindividuals in communities across the country feel the samewdy, often searching for opportunit ies to make their hol idayseasons more meaningful.

The Holiday Project is such an opportunity.

The Holiday Project began in L97l-, when eight people in SanFrancisco joined together to visit patients in a loca1hospital on Christmas Day and share Christmas dinner. Theproject grew, over the years, to include Chanukah as well asChr is tmas, and v is i ts to pr isons, nurs ing homes, psychiat r icfaci l i t ies, shelters for battered wives and children, ds wellas to hospitals. Since its forrnal incorporation in L980, TheHoliday Project has expanded to rnore than l-00 communit ies.In the l -986 ho l i day season , 22 ,000 pa r t i c i pan ts v i s i t ednear l y 2OO,000 peop le i n 2 ,000 i ns t i t u t i ons - -anaccomplishment made possible by a corps of 2,7OO managementvolunteers.

Part icipation in The Holiday Project takes many forms. Inaddit ion to visit ing and serving on a managlement team, peoplemake gifts, attend gift-wrap part ies, provide entertainment.Individuals nake direct cash donations, or monthly pledgesthrough rrFriends of The Holiday Projectrrr while corporations,in addit ion to making generous cash donations, contributethrough matchinq gift programs and by donating merchandisefo r g i f t s .

Each year The Holiday Project receives recognit ion andacclaim from local governments and state legislatures. InDecember of l-985 it received such recognit ion from PresidentRonald Reagan.

1388 Sutter Street #500, SanFrancisco, CA94109 (415) 474-7285

The Holiday Project is incorporated in Cali fornia as anot-for-profi t charitable corporation guali fying for taxexemption under Section 50L(c) (3) of the Internal Revenuecode. It is rnanaged by local committees, regional teams, bya national committee (also al l volunteers), by the ExecutiveDirector, Dr. El izabeth Russell , and by the Board ofDi rectors.

The purpose of The Holiday Project is to provide theopportunity for people to contribute, and be contributed to,by being with others while visit ing in insti tut ions during \the Christmas and Chanukah holiday season, and bypart icipating in activit ies that support such visits. Therelationship created between those visited and those whovisit is at the heart of The Holiday Project. Visited andvisitors al ike receive the gift of giving, in the true spir i tof the holiday season.

trWe gave gifts and sang songs, but i t was as i f the sonqsand the gifts were just the excuse we used to be closeto each other. Now f have only to remember that day tohave rny hotiday be the way I always wanted it to be. rl

A Holiday Project Volunteer