New nonprofit will donate Christmas gifts to hundreds of children in Centre County
Inside a box were two presents, one meant for a teenage foster child and another that forced Ashley Molek to pause and contemplate who could be the other recipient.
The founder and executive director of the new gift-giving nonprofit A Christmas Wish turned to the name tag for a clue. It read “To: Mom. From: A fellow mom.” Tears quickly followed.
“I thought ‘What a beautiful sentiment.’ While this is for the children, we recognize that you need help and I’m here for you even though you don’t know who I am and you never will,” Molek said. “Moms helping moms is just such a beautiful thought. It’s incredible to see.”
The Penn State alumna who lives in the Bellefonte area launched the foundation in February after seeing firsthand how children benefited from similar programs elsewhere.
Molek, who said she “came from a family that didn’t have a lot of money,” received gifts from anonymous donors as a child. She also donated to organizations with a similar mission once she was financially stable.
The mission of her nonprofit, she said, is “incredibly close to my heart.”
The premise is straightforward: Parents and legal guardians who weren’t able to provide Christmas gifts for their children younger than 18 had about a month to fill out an online questionnaire.
The template worked almost like Mad Libs, where caregivers could share their children’s age, favorite color and treats, clothing sizes and their wants and needs.
Molek posted the information on Facebook in search of adults, businesses or organizations that wanted to play an anonymous version of Santa for a child of their choosing. The edict from there? “Go have fun,” Molek said.
There is neither a minimum nor maximum on the amount of gifts or how much sponsors spend, Molek said. That choice is left with those who signed up.
The nonprofit asked that gifts be donated unwrapped, running counter to some other organizations that may also ask for bar codes to be removed. She wants to leave the wrapping to the parents.
“While this benefits the children, I think parents also have a sense of pride and they get joy out of being able to help prepare for Christmas with their children, being a part of creating that sense of magic for them,” Molek said. “We really wanted to give parents the opportunity to do that.”
More than 220 children are slated to receive presents during the nonprofit’s inaugural Christmas season, a tally Molek said “blew me away.” Every child Molek posted online was matched with a sponsor, she said.
“People are doing it anonymously. It’s out of the goodness of their heart,” Molek said. “It’s not for recognition. It’s not for reward. It’s just because they want to be a good person and they want to help people that are near them. I think that’s absolutely lovely.”
The nonprofit is not accepting any more applications this season; the deadline to apply was Dec. 6. But those looking to pitch in may donate or offer their time next year. Molek suggested would-be volunteers to contact the nonprofit through its Facebook page.
Molek said she expects more parents to apply next year, a potentially daunting task for what she described as an already “incredibly time-consuming process.” More manpower will almost certainly be needed.
Gifts were dropped off Saturday. They’re expected to be distributed, along with wrapping paper and bows, beginning Thursday. Some gifts will be delivered to those who don’t have transportation, Molek said.
All of it was made possible, she said, by a community that is “so generous.”
“I think sometimes folks focus on the bad things in the world and our community. That is there, it does exist. But a lot of good exists as well,” Molek said. “You can choose to look for good things in our world and in our community. If you choose to look for those good things, you will find them and they are here.”
For information about A Christmas Wish, visit www.facebook.com/ACWCENTRE.