Member Highlight: Santa's Cause

Started in 2005 by Kelly Peterson, Santa’s Cause has been providing Christmas stockings to foster children for 12 years. It is a very busy time for this South Central Idaho nonprofit. They “provide gifts for all foster kids in Region 5, which spans from Gooding to the Mini Cassia area, Hailey to Twin.”

​Their services have expanded over the last five years to include additional Christmas gifts and scholarships for extracurricular activities. This helps support foster children and lessens the financial burden on foster families.

​Peterson and her team have also added the Tooth Fairy to the organization’s payroll. “This program provides orthodontic care for foster and economically disadvantaged children.”

Recently collaborating with Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), Santa’s Cause has been able to help fund “dance lessons, football, driver's training, music lessons,” and much more for the kids they serve.

“The one thing I learned on the job is that all you have to do is ask! People are naturally generous and they want to help.” says Peterson. And they have done just that while networking in their area. “Within the last year and a half… we have found that our private donations have more than quadrupled.”

Peterson concludes with “My hope for Santa's Cause is that we continue to grow not only in our current programs but also in new and innovative ways to change one life at a time for the better” as she discusses measuring their success and looking towards the future.

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