Sub for Santa Project 2008
Through the Sub for Santa program that APX sponsored in December, there were many families who needed extra help for Christmas. Hundreds of families needed help in supplying their own family with gifts for Christmas. Because of the generous giving by APX employees (over $113,000), APX was able to help a few families receive special request that were in addition to the Christmas presents requested. Some families needed help paying for medical needs, others need bedding and furniture, other families just needed extra money for diapers, all these needs were important and fulfilled.
When a few APX employees were looking through the family sponsor sheets and their needs, APX came across a very special request by one family, “to be in a home of their own”. Touched by their story and wanting them to have a home of their own for Christmas, the family was contacted about their situation and their needs. Employees spent hours searching for a home that could be theirs. Just in time, a home was found for this family. Employees hurried to move in furniture, bedding, supplies and a Christmas tree for the holiday. As the hours drew to minutes, a van arrived in the driveway, employees standing and waiting greeted the family with hugs and cheers.
“The parents were so excited; they even kept their new home a secret from their kids because that is what the kids asked for, for Christmas”, said Stacey Helfrich. The parents blind folded their kids and walked them up into the entry way of the home. It was there, in the entry of the home, where the magic of Christmas began. The blind folds were removed from the children’s faces and the parents welcomed them into their new home. The excitement could not be contained; their pure desire to be in a home together at last was discovered by the APX employees, “tears flowed down our faces” said Krissy Weekley, as the children shouted with excitement and hugged their parents who wept with joy.
APX Alarm looks forward to the next Christmas holiday season were nothing but giving and serving happens, for a few months around Christmas, every employee that wants to help has a chance to be Santa for a family in need.
I had the oppurtunity to help with Sub for Santa last year and it was amazing. It was great to come together with people I work with and work as a team on bringing joy to others. The best part about it was seeing the joy on the families faces when we came to their door. I am so happy to be able to participate in the different service projects we do for others around us. We take protecting families to a whole new level!
I’ve been to and participated in many of the APX Family Foundation adventures but I have to say that the “Sub for Santa” project was my favorite and I can’t wait to do it again in 2009. We all had a great time working together, getting to know each other better doing something fun with the same goal in our hearts of bringing joy to others. To see the smiles on the families faces and what it meant for them brought a year worth of joy to my heart and I look forward to that feeling. The Sub for Santa program also gives me the opportunity to teach my kids the pleasure of serving others.
The Sub for Santa project was absolutely amazing for me. From the process of buying the gifts, to wrapping, organizing and delivering them it was such a rewarding feeling to be able to contribute to helping others to enjoy their Christmas. When we delivered the presents to those children at the school it was very emotional time for me. I will never EVER forget the little boy who had 2 inch holes in his shoes and was wearing plastic bags over his socks to keep the snow out. He got two brand new pair of Adidas and he was so happy to not have to wear shopping bags on his feet anymore. Wow!
Helping with the Sub for Santa project was one of the most humbling experiences that I have had. Getting the wish card and seeing that all these kids wanted was pencils’ and coloring books just broke my heart. I was overjoyed with the fact that we got to make their wish come true and then some! The best part was actually delivering the gifts to the different families and seeing the joy and hope on their faces. Still to this day it brings tears to my eyes!! I am very proud and grateful to work with such an amazing company!!
One of the most memorable charity events of my life was APX’s sub for Santa 2008. I was amazed at how much money, time, and effort went into taking care of these families in need. In addition, I was happy to hear that APX was going to do the sub for Santa project again in 2009. I am truly looking forward to assisting in this wonderful event this year. Sub for Santa was a great learning experience for me and my kids. What a great opportunity to work for a company filled with individuals that want to give time, and money to charities.
I am so excited for 2009!!!! My daughters still talk about this. IT changed our family more than those we helped. But we were very blessed. I got to go out with the Aukers and other close APx work friends… and we decided to visit the families as a group. Our families welcomed us, they hugged us, they thanked us, and they gave us more than we could have ever given them.
One of the best parts was taking extra time to run over to the book store and get reading books for all the kids in our families. It was an awesome idea from Sachiyo.
I was also blessed to get my Techs across the central U.S. involved and seeing pictures from Chicago, Detroit, Houston, and other areas was so humbling to be a part of such a huge effort to bless others with a tiny bit of how we have been blessed so greatly. I also got to go to Dallas and shop with the Dallas Technicians for the families in their area. It was a great chance to unify and enjoy the Holidays on very nice level.
The most humbling of all however was the school in SLC that we got to help sponsor and open presents with the Elementary children. I have never had to hold back more tears or moments of breaking down from seeing how excited they were, and seeing how much they needed the shoes, clothes, books, and toys. Yes, they needed those toys… to be a child with a new toy and a smile is one of the greatest things in this world. I will never forget that day.
2008 was the best Christmas Season I have had in life.