Imagine being five years old again, waking up on Christmas morning in your warm plush bed with your sister in the twin bed next to you. You run downstairs with your parents and the rest of your family to find all the Polly Pockets and Cabbage Patch Kids that Santa has left for you under the tree. The rest of the day is spent with your family eating Honey Baked Ham and drinking eggnog while you play with all of your shiny, new toys.

Now imagine being five years old and waking up on Christmas morning in a bed that is not your own with a roommate who is not your sibling. As you walk downstairs with the other foster children, the anticipation builds in hopes of finding a gift with your name on it under the tree. This gift is from a stranger, yet it means so much more to you than just a new doll.

This scene is a reality to approximately 500,000 orphans in the United States alone who depend on the generosity of others for a memorable Christmas season filled with love, joyfulness and gifts. Without donations, these children would not receive any gifts during the holiday season and would feel completely forgotten and unloved. Donating gifts and possibly an old coat or some used toys to homes for children is something that all STA students and faculty should do, especially during the Christmas season. The impact that one Christmas gift can have on a foster child is unimaginable for us; it can bring them hope and show them what giving and caring for the dear neighbor is really like.

Giving these children a Christmas they deserve is extremely simple and will bring great joy not only to them, but you as well. One way to help out is through Niles Home for Children in Kansas City, Missouri. This organization is a home for abused, neglected and abandoned children from ages 6 to 17. Niles makes it easy to donate gifts to their kids. If you click ‘Holiday Wish List’ on their website, it will provide you with the names of numerous children, a brief description of each one and their very own Christmas wish list. You can then sign up for a gift and drop it by the home, which accepts donations Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 22. Just by that one act of kindness, you have touched the life of a child in need.

In addition to giving material goods to these children, you should consider the gift of your time and talents. Niles Home for Children and multiple other children homes in the Kansas City area are looking for volunteers to teach life skills to the children, play with them and tutor kids in their schooling. By volunteering to be a part of these children’s lives, you will not only be a positive role model, but you will be a friend.

This year, as you sit down to make your five-page-long wish list, try to remember the children in foster homes who wake up on Christmas morning with the hopes that someone, somewhere, has left them a present under the tree. It’s in your hands now – challenge yourself to give back to your community in this magical time of Christmas, and always remember that giving is far more fulfilling than receiving.