REGISTER NOW FOR  HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH & INSTITUTIONALIZED ADULTS

Jewish Children’s Regional Service , based in Greater New Orleans , and both the oldest  Jewish children’s agency in the United States , as well as the only  regional  Jewish children’s agency,  is now  registering Jewish children, youth and  institutionalized adults for  complimentary gifts for Hanukkah, which falls in early December for 2015.
Typical recipients are children and youth from families, who cannot afford gifts, are socially isolated, and/or dealing with individual or family challenges.    Families and individuals must live in the states that JCRS  serves, that includes, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas to be included .  In recent years, 200-250 overall recipients have received gifts.
Jewish families who have suffered from recent flooding in Texas or  Oklahoma, or other natural disasters in other states of the region, are encouraged to apply for  Hanukkah gifts. If possible , JCRS will attempt to send acquired  books or toys before the holidays,  if  the family’s losses were significant and the family is actually in a position to accept  shipped gifts from JCRS.
For Hanukkah, all recipients receive at least eight small, wrapped  age and gender appropriate  gifts ; one gift  for each night of Hanukkah . Typical gifts range from stuffed animals,  books ,  and toys for younger children , to books , jewelry, grooming and travel  supplies , sporting goods and school and art supplies for older youth. Some gifts carry Hanukkah or Jewish themes.   Institutionalized adults receive  gifts based  on needs and descriptions of interests.

All parents and guardians must fill out  and submit to JCRS a registration form ,and there is  adequate space on the form to check off sample in-stock  gifts to request, or write in a  child’s or adult’s  overall interests.
JCRS requests that anyone who would like to be enrolled for 2015, should  enroll now!

Thousands of gifts must be acquired, sorted , bagged, wrapped , re-sorted by family , and shipped in mid- November,  before Hanukkah begins . Registering helps to insure that your child or family members can receive priority consideration when gifts are gathered for that individual.

Beginning in 2015, the  JCRS Hanukkah Gift Program has been named for the late Oscar B. Tolmas, whose Trust has made a significant gift to support the program.  In addition, JCRS  accepts cash donations to support this  important  Jewish outreach program, but is very   selective regarding what new, actual  gifts it can accept as donations for distributions to children , youth and adults.
To receive a registration form for the  Hanukkah Gift Program , please email ned@jcrs.org,  or call  the agency office at 1-800-729 5277, and ask for any staff member who is available to help you with this program .  Registration forms can be FAXed to 504-828-5255 and the office address is JCRS , 3500 North Causeway Blvd.  #1120 , Metairie , LA 70002.
Visit the JCRS website: www.jcrs.org, to learn more about this and other programs , and under the “outcomes”  headline you can read numerous and gratifying “thank you” notes from children, youth, parents and guardians.