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White Doves Holiday Project
A major project of Martin Volunteers each year is
the White Doves Holiday Project. In 2008, White Doves conducted its
20th year of
bringing smiles, toys and food to thousands of people.
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To make a donation:
Please make checks payable to White
Doves Holiday Project and mail to PO Box 362, Stuart, FL 34995.
Donation form (PDF)
Click the button to make an online donation
to the White Doves Holiday Project
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About White Doves
Families are referred to White Doves by social service
agencies, schools and faith-based groups. They receive the staples for a holiday
meal and toys for their children.

TOYS FOR TOTS: White Doves is sanctioned as the local coordinating organization for the
collection of Toys for Tots in Martin County. Thanks go to the dozens of
businesses serve as collection points and the thousands of people who
donate toys. In 2008, the sites collected 17,000 toys and an average of five
toys were given to each of the 3,141 children served through 44 agencies.
TOM
AND LISA HALEY: The Haleys have been involved in White Doves for many years,
helping to distribute turkeys, hams and toys. They have been the co-chairs of
the White Doves Holiday Project since 2005. Tom is the owner of Buy the Hour
Builders, and Lisa owns Body Sculpting of South Florida.
GEORGE
PHILLIPS: George Phillips, another veteran White Doves volunteer has been
the White Doves warehouse manager since
2005. Throughout November and December, George spends long hours at the
warehouse, organizing goods and volunteers, handling deliveries and other
logistics.
ADOPTERS: More than 100 individuals, families or groups
adopt at least one White
Doves family each year. This includes several groups from local high schools. Also, the community of Harbour Ridge adopts all the families
of Hope Rural School in Indiantown.
HOW IT WORKS
The White Doves Holiday Project is hard at work long before
the holiday season, assembling the list of families to be served and arranging
the logistics of collecting, sorting and distributing food and gifts.
More than 80 agencies, schools and churches identify
families who need help at holiday time.
Once the families are referred, they are matched with individuals, groups and
organizations willing to “adopt” the family and provide for them. Those that are
not adopted receive food and toys from either the Indiantown or the Stuart
location. On distribution days, volunteers help families “shop” for free for
toys to give their children, ages 0-15. Families also receive a bag of groceries
containing the staples for a holiday meal and other items.
HISTORY
The White Doves Holiday Project began in 1988, with 838
families served. In 1993, after Hurricane Andrew, the number of families
served reached an all-time high of 1,600. In recent years, White Doves has
averaged about 1,200 families annually.
In 2008: White Doves served 1,379 families with
3,091 children at the two warehouses in Stuart and Indiantown, plus an addition
77 adopted families. This was a remarkable year for donations too, with close to
$70,000 being raised.
VOLUNTEERS: There were 139 volunteers ranging from
senior citizens, to families and six groups with an average of 15 members, such
as the Jensen Beach High School football team, the Jeepers, the Boys Scouts, the
Indian River State College baseball team, the Jensen Beach ROTC team, the Martin
County Sheriff’s Explorer’s and the Church of the Latter Day Saints from
Clewiston all donated more than 3,000 hours.
Volunteer included roles range from sorting toys and food, decorating the warehouse,
organizing deliveries, helping clients and entering data.
SCOUTING FOR FOOD: The White Doves Project started
in November with the
Scouting for Food food drive collecting 12,867 pounds with
other residents collecting an additional 4,500 pounds, followed by
Family Volunteering Day.
During the week of Family Volunteering Day,
students at Pine School, along with Tom Weiksnar and friends, decorated
nearly 3,000 brown lunch bags used as stocking stuffers for the children - a new
initiative in 2008. Tom, his fellow workers and their families also spent a
full day decorating several trees later given to deserving families.
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Destiny, 11, and Jade, 10, Neumann, of Stuart, donated
37 of their handmade Build-A-Bear Workshop teddy bears to less fortunate
children. Read More >>
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2008 also brought new donors with
Lauri Goldstein and her contacts donating
$12,500 for the purchase of hams and turkeys, along with Milam's Market, to name
a few; as well as continual supporters for many years like Linda Braswell and
the residents of Loblolly and Evergreen was able to raise more than $2,000.
2007: 1,239 families with 2,975 children.
Read more >>
2006: 1,206 families with
3,087 children. Read more >>
2005: 1,318 families with 3,196 children.
Read more >>
2004: 1,295 families served, including 2,799 children.
See Channel 2 report from December 2004 >>
(video file in .wmv format)
2003: 1,190 families served, including 2,475 children
For more information about White Doves,
contact
assistant coordinator Anne Lalley at (772) 220-4472, ext. 232
or
alalley@martinvolunteers.org |