For 15 years and counting, every kid on the Fort Peck Reservation receives a gift, a toy, a winter coat, boots, gloves, etc during Christmas time. It’s more than just a toy, a gift, or an article of clothing. It’s a symbol of hope that stays with every kid throughout their life.
It says with love that people outside of the Reservation love, recognizes, and cares deeply about them and is in their corner.
When we first started Christmas on the Reservation, we used to get “who are you guys” and “why are you doing this?”
Suspicion and skepticism reigned supreme. We used to hear that we were like so many other ‘do gooder’ groups and that we’ll never be back. Nobody has kept their word or their promises when it comes to this Reservation.
History has been rewritten.
15 years later, we now hear, “when are you guys coming back?!”, “I just loved the pony rides at Fun Day”, “the hot dogs were by far the best yet!” (Thanks Martin of HPDP) and, “that band Don’t Quit Your Day Job is still lame!”
And so it goes.
Gift raising each year is truly a logistics miracle!
How can a few Chiropractic offices, a Naturopath, practice members from these offices and beyond, some wealthy donors, a few businesses, and a few other groups raise so many gifts?
We can only do this by making all those that care feel a part of the Love Has No Color family.
Each doctor, donor, and participant is kept in the Love Has No Color community with updates, newsletters, commemorative books, collector tee shirts, this very blog, and more!
Throughout the year, practice members, donors, participants read the words of gratitude written by Kenny Smoker of HPDP about how the kids enjoyed themselves and how they look forward to each and every event.
For the majority of our LHNC family, this marks a time of the season where we get a chance to create brighter futures for these kids.
Most of our participants and donors have been with us for years and years.
Christmas on the Reservation is something that is like a soundtrack in our participants and donors lives. We get donations to honor deceased relatives, pets, living family members, marriages, etc all in the name of love.
Some families get their kids involved in the gift raising and connect kids off the Reservation to kids on the Reservation.
Love Has No Color refuses to allow invisible children or the forgotten kids to be invisible or forgotten.
It’s our privilege and honor to do our part.
Won’t you help us?
Gift raising officially begins on Monday, October 7th and ends on November 25th. Dr. Megan has requested that the presents arrive by December 1st. This way there is enough time to sort and wrap them.