Capes 4 Kiddos!

We have been working diligently to launch our newest program this holiday season. You can read all about it by clicking here. Also, feel free to check out the pictures above! We are very close, but still need materials in order to meet our first goals of 50 bags before Christmas 2017. 

Your donations during this time, as always, will be a tremendous help! Things like gently used pillow cases, fleece, and money would all be greatly appreciated. 

If you would like to donate, please feel free to use the links below or contact us directly at info@strangersweknow.org.

Thank you for your continued support! 

Donate Now

ARE YOU READY?!

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We certainly are! We are so excited to be gearing up for our holiday outreach and first fundraiser/giveaway! Are you ready? If not, you have the rest of October to get ready and get involved. 

As you know, every year we seek to give back to our community in sustainable, positive, impactful ways. This year's goals will be no different, however, our approach will change a bit. We are planning to host our first fundraiser/giveaway in efforts to collect enough items to help families this holiday season, while also putting on our Letters from Santa campaign AND launching a brand new program for children throughout the United States.

We are busy busy getting everything together to make this a success. And with your help and support, we just know this will be nothing short of an amazing end to this wonderful year and holiday season! 

So stay tuned and get ready! 

Arizona Lottery Gives Back!

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StrangersWeKnow has been fortunate enough to receive a grant from the Arizona Lottery Giving Back division!

We are so, so grateful for this! Not only is it the first grant we have been awarded in the past 3 years, most importantly, it will enable us to continue service to our community. Many don't know that StrangersWeKnow is primarily privately funded out of pocket. Just the day before we received word that we were to receive this grant, we were looking at suspending our BRIDGES program until further notice. We literally went from changing the website on Tuesday to reflect a temporary suspension until further notice to celebrating Wednesday that we would be able to continue services into the next fiscal year.

I share this with you all to remind you that what we do is truly grassroots and heart based. No major grants, no large endowments sustain us. We come out of pocket for most of the outreach we do. Please know that any gift, award, or care package you might receive from StrangersWeKnow is truly thought out and purposefully given.

We believe in what we do, but, most importantly, we believe in YOU! 

 

Cheers to this fiscal year and helping as many as we can with the grant we have received! 

Upcoming Changes! Adding Value and What it Means for You

If you follow our Facebook page then you know we are making some foundational changes in efforts to be of better service to our community. There is a video below about it, but I also wanted to include some written information about what we are doing. 

A Simple Definition

Value Exchange: The purposeful and effective exchange of value with the ultimate goal of empowerment.

How We Plan to Introduce Value Exchange into Our Programs

At StrangersWeKnow, we are implementing value exchange throughout our programs. One way in which we plan to accomplish this is to create opportunities for value exchange for program participants. For example, families who participate in our holiday gift outreach will have opportunities to volunteer in community outreach beforehand. They will essentially be exchanging their time, which is valuable, for entry into the community holiday event, which is also valuable. In this way, we believe we are shifting the focus from potentially temporary circumstances to something much more valuable and consistent, like time.

I absolutely believe in doing what you can, with what you have, when you have it. As Dr. Martin Luther King said in his famous Drum Major Instinct speech, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” We simply want to remind our community of that every single time we engage with them. We all have value, no matter what our circumstances.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact us either through our Contact Page or Facebook or view the video below. 

Happy Helping! :)

What Exactly is Value Exchange? Find out below.

It's That Time Again!

For the third year in a row, we will be sending out Letters from Santa! This year, we hope to reach across the entire U.S. If you would like your child or someone you know to receive a letter, please submit their name, address, and anything special you would like mentioned to info@strangersweknow.org.  Please make all submissions by no later than December 1st, 2016.

Just like last year, I will be emailing and calling local churches and news outlets in hopes of reaching as many people as possible. If you do not personally know someone who would benefit, please feel free to share this with those who might.

As always, our goal is to spread love like wildfire. We believe love is the answer and connection is the way. And what better way to connect than through giving?

I've attached sample Letters from Santa here and here just to give an idea of what can be expected. These are actual letters that went out last year. 

We look forward to continuing service to the community this holiday season! 

With love and kindness,

Jerrad

Arizona Businesses, We Need You!

 There is power in community and people helping people. 

Together, we can unleash this power in Arizona!

Click the flyer for more information.

Click the flyer for more information.

 

 

 

We are hoping to partner with more of Arizona's businesses for the December item drive.  

We would like to do something where you, your business, the community, and Arizona's foster children win. 


Here's what we're thinking:

  • StrangersWeKnow will create and place a flyer on www.StrangersWeKnow.org and www.facebook.com/StrangersWeKnow encouraging our supporters to help their communities and the BRIDGES foster program by shopping at local businesses (your store).
  • When a customer shows the flyer while making a purchase, a portion will go towards the BRIDGES foster program.
  •  Your business will get more traffic and sales and more of Arizona’s kids will be helped! :)

If you’re interested in participating, know someone who might be, or have questions and suggestions, please email me at Info@StrangersWeKnow.org

 

I can't say thank you enough..

But I'll try. I say this a lot, but you are truly changing lives! Together, we are doing great and wonderful things and I am so appreciative. Thank you thank you thank you! In just one month, we pulled together enough items to help more than 30 kids STATEWIDE! The plan was to start in Pima county and then expand, but we were able to reach every county in Arizona the first time around. The next item drive will be December of 2014, but you can continue to donate items throughout the year. We are also looking at expanding the HomeFree program to focus on the chronically homeless population of foster kids who have aged out of care. Lots and lots of stuff coming up! Subscribe to the blog or check the Facebook page often for updates. For now, enjoy this video made just for you :)