Annual Gifts of Hope Campaign Kicks Off

Sharon may score high in the surveys rating the best places in the country to live, but there are people in town – often hidden from view – who don’t even have the resources to buy holiday presents for their children or observe other traditions of the holiday season.

These gifts are made possible by generous donations that come from this community year after year. “What is so touching about this campaign is that it is Sharon families helping Sharon families,” said Jane Desberg, the Gifts of Hope program coordinator for the Rotary Club. All administrative costs – postage, envelopes and gift wrap - are donated by generous local businesses, so all donations by individuals to the campaign go straight to deserving families.

“There is certainly a need in Sharon,” Desberg said, “and you can’t always tell by the outside of the house.”

This year, requests for assistance are already coming in. The Gifts of Hope committee works with town and school administrators, social workers and members of the clergy to identify people in need. Donations are made through the Rotary Club of Sharon Charitable Fund Inc., a registered 501(c)3 charity, and are tax-deductible. To give a Gift of Hope send a check, made payable to the Rotary Club of Sharon Charitable Fund, Inc., with Gifts of Hope in the memo line, to Gifts of Hope, P.O. Box 52, Sharon, MA 02067.

If you know a family or person in need, contact Jane Desberg at (781) 784-2733. The confidentiality of all recipients will be strictly honored.

Gifts of Hope depends on donations made by caring individuals and families in town, many of whom make Gifts of Hope part of their personal holiday observance. A donation appeal has already been mailed to those who have supported the program in the past or have connected with the Rotary Club over this past year, but new individuals and families are encouraged to donate to help us expand our reach to those in need.

Any monetary donation to the 2016 Gifts of Hope Campaign – whether it is $20 or $1,000 – will help bring a smile to a child, teenager, neighbor or senior citizen. The names of those who contribute – not the amount – will be published in The Advocate unless the donor wishes to remain anonymous.

Gifts of Hope is not only a year-end activity. A springtime gift distribution is made for the Easter-Passover season, and during the year aid is extended to fire victims and those who struggle to pay heating bills or buy groceries in times of catastrophic illness or other emergencies.

Gifts of Hope is just one of the service projects of the Rotary Club of Sharon, which was founded in December 1941. One of the oldest service groups in Sharon, the club participates in local activities like the Independence Day celebration, Square Jam, and the Sharon Triathlon. The club serves a Thanksgiving dinner to Sharon seniors each year, works with the Interact Club at Sharon High School and supports local charities like School on Wheels and the Ilse Marks Food Pantry.

One of 34,000 Rotary clubs around the world – with the motto of “Service Above Self” – the Sharon Club started its charitable fund in 2011 to further its good works, including Gifts of Hope. In recent years, the club has supported a girls’ school in Afghanistan, a water project in Mexico, and the worldwide disaster relief efforts of ShelterBox. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Sharon, visit our website at sharonrotary.org or find us on Facebook.