It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the elderly in Jacksonville.
For over 16 years the Jacksonville Bar Association has sponsored its annual Holiday Project in conjunction with Urban Jacksonville/Meals on Wheels.
The holidays are meant to be a joyous time filled with love, laughter and friends, but that’s not the case for everybody.
“So many of our seniors are almost forgotten and have no family. Sometimes the gifts they [the participating legal community] give are the only ones the elderly receive,” said Dianne Gill, executive director of the Jacksonville Bar Association.
The director of Meals on Wheels determines which senior citizens are most in need.
Although the Holiday Project attempts to assist as many elderly residents as possible, only so many sponsors are available.
Contributions are not limited to attorneys. The entire legal community is encouraged to participate. The gift list includes household essentials, clothing or food items.
Delivery of the gifts is coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and are distributed the day before Christmas. Sponsors wishing to have a police officer deliver their gift must drop off the present two weeks in advance at the Police Memorial Building.
To participate, call Allison Hauser or Sonya Hoener at 398-0900.
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The Young Lawyer Section of the JBA sponsors the Holiday in January project, which provides belated Christmas gifts for foster children.
The idea is to capture those less fortunate children that may have been forgotten over the holidays because they were placed in the foster care system during December.
Designed to make the holidays merrier for children who are orphaned or separated from their natural parents through the legal system, it emphasizes “wish list” items over essentials.
Encompassing disadvantaged children from infancy to age 17, the Holiday in January project started this month by sending solicitation letters to various law firms and individual attorneys.
Invitations are then sent by the Department of Children and Families to the children to attend the gift-giving function.
Although the project’s initial purpose is to provide presents for children new to the foster care system, other disadvantaged children are welcome to attend.
For information, call the Bar office at 399-4486.