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Long-Form Application for Christmas 2020 


(Long-form Applications begin Nov 3 2020 - approvals begin November 15th, 2020)
​​
About this application process:

      Applications for family assistance will be considered based on multiple factors- We have limits due to the nature of the program. Everything we do is based on the donations we're able to collect. We do our best to help as many families as possible, while not overlapping too many kids who are close in age and the same gender, that way we can make the most of all donations.

​(For example- if we are already helping families with little boys ages 2, 4, 6, 7 and 7- we are going to look for families with young girls to help. Its important to spread the ages and genders of the kids, because we only collect so many donations that would be appropriate for, say, 8 year old girls. If we accepted six families with girls close in age, we wouldn't be able to give each family enough items to feel that we sufficiently helped that child.)

​We will take into consideration all the factors asked about on the application. We cannot guarantee anyone will be accepted and we cannot discuss our decisions about the process. We can not & will not disclose how or why selections were made. Fairness is very important to us- No decisions are ever made based on factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc.
We reserve the right to choose families based on our ability to help & a multitude of other considerations. We will never disclose our reasons for accepting or denying any application.


​Applications DO NOT need to be submitted by a member of the family - however, we will need to speak to the adult / parent in the family prior to actually accepting that family for assistance.

​
Please answer as completely and honestly as possible! None of the answers to these questions are guaranteed REJECTIONS- For example, if your family is receiving assistance from another organization- it is possible that we could help your family AND another - so please don't anticipate answers and change your answers according to what you think will get you approved - PLEASE be HONEST.

​*** Our only restriction; We only work with families only one time in a five year period. If we have helped a family previously, we limit assistance for the following 5 years in order to help as many families as possible. This restriction applies to any blood relative or household member of a family we have previously assisted. ***


You will be notified as quickly as possible of your application's status once application approvals have begun. If your family has received a "wait list" status- we encourage you to continue to seek other assistance as we can not make any promises about how many wait-listed families will be moved up by Dec 20th, 2019.

Thank you!

1) Read all instructions completely before you begin.

2) Do NOT start this application if you do not have time to complete it now.

3) We HIGHLY recommend filling this out on a COMPUTER with a reliable internet connection. If the form does not complete / send - there is nothing we can do until you fill it out again.

3) Fill out this application form carefully & completely and hit send ONE time. You will be REDIRECTED to a separate page, confirming that your application was received. It is a LONG FORM and often takes SEVERAL MINUTES to send. If you close this page without receiving confirmation, it is unlikely that we will have received your application. 

PLEASE send any QUESTIONS about Project Christmas BEFORE YOU FILL OUT THIS APPLICATION

(with the SUBJECT "PROJECT CHRISTMAS APPLICATION QUESTION" so your message isn't missed) - to
EvansFamilyLegoProject@gmail.com


INFORMATION ABOUT APPLYING:
​

Please know that all information is kept confidential. We do not release the names of the families who are requesting or receiving help because we believe that DIGNITY is crucial. Some recipients choose to share photos, or make a thank-you message public. This is done by choice - we do not require any kind of public recognition. While we love to hear from the families about how we've been able to help them - we would never want anyone to share identifying information that might embarrass them or their children.

Please Remember: Being in need, or receiving help, should never be a source of embarrassment.

​
​We ALL need help at times in our lives.   We are giving families a HAND UP: not a hand-out.

     Long-Form ​2020 Project Christmas Application

    Section 1a: Start Here!
    ​

    Please read & agree:

    All families applying for assistance must reside in Southern New Jersey.

    All families must have at least one child under the age of 11 years old (*Unless the family includes children with special needs).

    ​All families applying for assistance are eligible for sponsorship assistance one time in any 5 year period. If your family was placed on our waiting list and received PARTIAL assistance in the past, you are welcome to apply again.

    By filling out this application, you are agreeing that your family has not received FULL sponsorship through our program on or after Dec 2015. 

    If you agree that your family meets the above requirements, please read the following statement regarding the current Pandemic situation, before proceeding on with the application.


    2020 Corona Virus Information & your Agreement to Notify: PLEASE BE ADVISED that due to the challenges & complications of running Project Christmas while dealing with ever-rising risks associated with Corona Virus - the amount and type of help we are able to provide families this year will LIKELY be affected.   It is unlikely we will be distributing much or ANY clothing, shoes or household items to families until AFTER CHRISTMAS. Our focus this year, will be on meeting the needs and gift requests of the minor children, and while we will still do our best to help families in need with other necessary items - many of these items will need to be picked up / delivered AFTER Christmas (Jan/Feb 2021). 

    ​All families filling out this application hereby agree to take ALL possible precautions in reducing the possible exposure of our volunteers to illness. 

      
     1) If you or ANYONE in your home or family (or anyone who lives in your home) has been in contact with anyone who has had a cough, sore throat, fever or ANY OTHER potential symptoms of the Corona Virus within the last THREE WEEKS - You agree to immediately notify our staff VIA EMAIL or TEXT MESSAGE, informing us as to WHO is ill, and what your contact with this person has been (if they live in your home, work with you, etc.)
     
     2) If you have been put at risk of exposure, OR if you have taken a test for ANY REASON, you agree to notify us that you have taken a Corona Virus test and you agree to share your test results with us electronically if requested. These results and ALL health-related communications will be kept 100% PRIVATE.

    3) You agree that you will not attempt to be present at any scheduled appointment or pick-up if you have been put at risk for Corona Virus UNLESS we have been notified, we have CONFIRMED that we received your notification - 14 days of self-quarantine have passed AND/OR you have received a NEGATIVE test in the last (5) days.

    4) You agree to notify us if you or anyone in your home is high-risk (Over the age of 50, currently pregnant or breastfeeding, imunocompromised, etc)

    5) You agree that if you or anyone close to you has been to an Emergency Room, Public Health Office, Urgent Care Center, OR have shown signs of illness within the last 14 days-  you agree to have absolutely no in-person contact with our volunteers until you have been cleared via a negative test for Corona Virus (Rapid Test results are not accepted as they have proven unreliable.)

      If you become UNABLE to attend an appointment due to an illness in your home/household or a confirmed diagnosis by someone directly connected to your family / home - We will make delivery arrangements wherever possible.

    EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
     

    Please understand that our program is run by a VERY SMALL family / volunteer staff consisting almost ENTIRELY of high-risk individuals. Our volunteers include three people over the age of 70, four immunocompromised individuals & our program's director has both a serious chronic illness AND is currently PREGNANT - as such - we can not accept ANY unnecessary risk to our volunteers.

       We expect you to wear a mask completely covering your NOSE and MOUTH - AT ALL TIMES INCLUDING times including when you are outdoors / arriving or departing from the facility where we are operating & ANY time you are dealing with our volunteers. If you do not agree with this - you will be asked to leave and we will not continue assisting your family. We have no choice but to take this EXTREMELY seriously. 

      We will not be giving WARNINGS or REMINDERS - If you do not wish to wear a mask to protect yourself AND our volunteers - DO NOT fill out this application. There are hundreds of children, including those in our own families as well as our director and both her young son and her unborn child who are all counting on the responsible behavior by all of those associated with Project Christmas. 

     Your cooperation with ALL efforts to reduce transmission of the Corona Virus is expected. This includes but is not limited to;

    Responsible behavior when in public, avoiding private and public gatherings, following all state and local stay-home orders and/or voluntary requests for limited public exposure, following self-quarantining if you have been exposed to any possible illness, commiting to regular hand washing & use of sanitizer, as well as proper use of masks and/or face shields. This cooperation is NON NEGOTIABLE if you wish to participate / receive assistance. 
     
    If we are aware that your family or household members are putting our volunteers at risk, you will be removed from the program.

    Obviously we do not want to do that, but we can not take any risks with the lives of our volunteers, and we would hope that you understand our need to stand firm on this. 

    Applicant Information:


    Section 2a:  Head of Household / Family Information

    ​Section 2b:  The Family's Address

    ​Section 3: Additional Adults in the Home;

    ​
    If there are any ADULTS other than the HEAD of HOUSEHOLD (Section 2) living in the same home- please include their information. This includes additional parents, grandparents, adult children or ANY OTHER relative or NON-relative living in your household. 
     
     (DO NOT list MINOR children (under 18 years old) here; There will be a place later in the application to list your children under the age of 18.
    Does anyone other than your immediate family live in the same home with you? (If so, please include their name(s), age(s) and relation to your family. (For example, if you have grandparents, cousins, a roommate, etc). In addition to gifts for the children, we aim to provide the household with extra household supplies, cleaning products, food, winter clothing & other necessary items, and we take into account all members of the household - that is why we ask for this information. Please be sure that everyone in the household is listed with the information at the top of this form.

    Section 4:  Qualifying Information

    Please provide us some information about your current home/living situation, to help us determine your family's eligibility and need. Please keep in mind that we take into account that just because a family owns their home - it does not mean that they are financially secure. Owning your home does not make your family less likely to receive help, so please answer honestly. ​
    Do any of the children have special needs / learning disabilities or other issues that would require consideration when we are collecting donations? (For example, if a child is not neuro-typical and would need or prefer items that are traditionally aimed at a different age-range -or, if a child has mobility or other functionality issues, we want to take this into consideration when looking for and choosing gifts that would be developmentally appropriate and safe for the child to use and enjoy.) Please include any information that would help us determine what types of items would or would not be safe/useful for the child with special needs. 

    This is not the place to list the child's wish list or toy preferences. That will be asked in a separate place.

    Section 5:  Pets in the Home
    ​

    Please list any pet supplies that are requested, along with the number and breed/type of pets in the home.

    Section 6a:  Pregnancy 
    ​

    If yes, please list the person's due date, and any necessary information about supplies that they currently need;


    ​If NO, skip to section 6b.

    Section 6b:  Infants & Toddlers


    ​If NO, skip to section 7

    Section 7:  Donation Delivery Information

    We prefer that the help we provide to families be kept secret from the children in order to preserve the dignity of the parents involved, and to preserve the "magic" of Christmas. If we are to deliver donations to you, it would be done during the week prior to Christmas. If you are picking up the items, it would be done during the same time frame (Dec 21-24th). Do you have a safe, secure location to hide these items until Christmas?  If not - we would like to make all attempts possible to not deliver until Christmas Eve.  Please note - all donations are delivered unwrapped to allow parents to make the final decision on weather gifts are usable, appropriate, and will be enjoyed by the recipient.  

    ​Section 8a:  Special Factors

    This is the part of the application where you explain WHY your family needs help from Project Christmas. Please be complete, detailed, and truthful about your family's situation. Simply saying "We can't afford Christmas gifts" does not help us to understand your situation. This is YOUR opportunity to explain why your family is in a situation right now in which you need the community's help - and this information may be shared (in part, and completely void of names or identifying information) to help us collect for your family.

    Important: If you wish for any of this information to be kept OUT of your family's public biography (again, there are NO names used on our website - families are identified only by a Family # that you're assigned) - please note that you would like this information to be kept confidential. If your family is selected -we will contact you for you to review and approve your family's biography for our website. 




    ​
    Question #1: Has anyone in the home dealt with drug/alcohol dependency, and if so, what is the person's current status. (If a person is currently in recovery, has attended a treatment center, currently attends AA/NA, etc.)   If your family requests information and assistance, we will provide you confidential links and information to assist your family with those needs - they will NOT affect your eligibility / application for assistance for the holiday.

    ​This information is completely confidential and will only be used to help determine the family's need and eligibility.  Having a household member with a substance abuse issue does NOT disqualify the family from receiving assistance; please be honest.

    Please type N/A in the box if this does not apply to your family. (You can not leave the box blank.)
    Question #2: If your family has been impacted by domestic violence, please include that information here. Many families we have helped in the past have come to us from women's/family shelters and left their homes with no belongings to escape domestic violence. It is our intention  to do as much as possible to help these families with their recovery& rebuilding. Please include any information that would help us determine what kind of assistance you need help with. We can provide information about free counseling, victims advocacy groups who can help with prosecution, etc. You are not required to disclose who the perpetrator was, nor any personal or medical information. Please only share what you feel comfortable sharing. 

    Please type N/A in the box if this does not apply. (You can not leave the box blank.)
    Question #3: Has the family been impacted by any other situations or life circumstances that have impacted your family's financial security, your ability to work and provide for your family, etc. Any information will be used solely to determine eligibility and need for assistance and will not be disclosed. You may want to include information about employment, health struggles, or other circumstances that have led you to seek assistance this holiday season. Please share any other information about the family's struggles / needs that can help us determine how we can best help you. 
    ​

    Please type N/A in the box if this does not apply. (You can not leave the box blank.)
    Question #4: ​If your children or family members have ever been the subject of an investigation, and/or been offered / recieved services through any state's children & family services program, please explain how your family came to be the subject of that investigation, the results of the investigation(s), when those cases were closed, and what actions were taken. Please use this space to explain any period of time that you did not have custody of any of the children currently in your care (including cases of adoption / foster placement / loss of custody permanent or temporary). If you have taken courses or recieved services for any of your family members through a social services program, if you have graduated/completed any courses or classes offered, please include those here.

    ​     If your family is currently involved with CPS / DYFS or any other social services organization, please explain what their current involvement is with your family. (Please note - Being the subject of a CPS / DYFS investigation does NOT disqualify your family in any way - including families who have at some point lost custody of their children. Our goal here is to better understand what your children have been through, and how your family is taking strides to be better, together. We do not judge families based on the status/closure of these cases- please be thorough and complete in your explanation of any contact your family has had with CPS/DYFS even if the case was closed as unfounded, or the subject of the investigation never lived with you, or no longer lives with you.) If you have biological children that you do not have custody of, or contact with - please explain those circumstances here. Again - We are NOT here to judge. We understand that MANY parents have given children up for adoption, for temporary placement, etc during various difficult times in their lives.

    This information will be kept confidential and we will not release any information on your family's biography unless we've discussed it with you FIRST and have received permission to do so. 

    ​
    Please type N/A in the box if this does not apply. (You can not leave the box blank.)

    ​Section 8b:  Community Ties / Personal References

    Below - Please list three community members (at least two of whom you are NOT related). These references are people who you should have a good relationship with, that you have known and interacted with in person (Not online exclusively). These people should also be aware (in some capacity) of your family's situation. This is the type of person who would be a good contact / point of reference for you & your family member if you were applying for a job or going to court.
        
          Good suggestions include; Family Friends, Your current or recent past Coworkers, Previous or Current Employer or Supervisor at a Volunteer Organization,  Religious Organization Members /  Religious Leaders, Police Officers, Social Workers, Nurses / Physical Aids, Teachers (yours or your child's), or anyone that you or your family have regular contact with that would be able to vouch for the validity of your family's need for financial assistance. We will NOT release ANY details of your application to this person, we will merely ask them to provide a personal character reference / to tell us about your family and why you family is deserving of assistance this holiday season.  Your references must be people you know or have known well within the last 3 years - they do NOT need to live locally / in South Jersey, as long as they are actively involved in your life and you have at some point known them well / in person (IE you've met them off-line and had contact with them outside of social media / the internet).

    ​Please choose someone RELIABLE who you believe WILL contact us back quickly -  If we aren't able to contact your references, your application may remain on hold indefinitely.​
    Reference #1 - Please list your first reference: Choose a person who does not live with you; someone who knows you & your family, who knows of your family's situation, and who is not a blood relative to you or anyone in your household. Please be sure to give this person permission to speak with us on your behalf - if the person listed knows you in a PROFESSIONAL capacity (such as a social worker)- please be sure to have that permission documented or given to them in writing, so that they are able to speak with us when we call. 
    Reference #2 - Please list your second reference: Choose a person who does not live with you; someone who knows you & your family, who knows of your family's situation, and who is not a blood relative to you or anyone in your household. Please be sure to give this person permission to speak with us on your behalf - if the person listed knows you in a PROFESSIONAL capacity (such as a social worker)- please be sure to have that permission documented or given to them in writing, so that they are able to speak with us when we call. ​
    Reference #3 - Please list your third reference: Choose a person who does not live with you; someone who knows you & your family, who knows of your family's situation. This person MAY be a blood relative to you or someone in your household. Please be sure to give this person permission to speak with us on your behalf - if the person listed knows you in a PROFESSIONAL capacity (such as a social worker)- please be sure to have that permission documented or given to them in writing, so that they are able to speak with us when we call. 

    Section 9a:  Family Holiday Supplies Needed​

    ​Does the family need/want any Christmas decorations, decor or a Christmas tree? Please select all that apply. Our goal is to deliver all Christmas decoration requests by the first week of December.


     Section 9b: Household Supplies Needed

    Section 10: The Children
    ​

    Please list each person under the age of 21 living in the household. Please be sure to include as much information about the child's preferences, interests,etc. Please note any specific toys they have requested, as well as any shows or characters they love.  Please include a short wish list for each child, especially if any child has one primary request (please include it- even if the item is expensive or seems unlikely to be granted). 

    This is especially important if you have a child who does not like toys that are stereotypical of their age and gender - we want to match the kids with things they will enjoy - so if you son loves Barbie dolls, or your daughter wants hot wheels cars - please be sure to note this, and make a note of any aversions to specific toys (we definitely understand that some little girls want science kits and not dolls!)

    For older children, this wish list is even more important (since they generally do not want toys). Please be as specific as possible about brands they like - last year we did get several brand new, brand-name items, like Adidas and Nike Sneakers, several make-up kits and gift cards, etc. The older kids are harder (and more expensive) to buy for- so they may get less items, but with an equal value to the younger children. Please remember to include things like sports equipment, types of clothing, etc.. 

    Please be sure to list each child's current (or next) clothing size - or a range of sizes if the child needs clothing they will soon grow into. Please include sizing for boots/winter wear for this current year. 

    We do our best to choose items that will work for each child, and we often communicate with parents during the collection process. We can not update you as items are collected, but we will touch base with any questions we have. 

    There is a space at the bottom for any family wish list items - for example, if the family or several children need a household computer to share - or if the family needs a television or stereo-  this would be the place to list that. 

       We ask that you list your children YOUNGEST to OLDEST.

    ​

    Child #1


    Child #2


    Child #3

    ​


    Child #4


    Child #5


    Child #6


    Additional Children

    Please press submit ONE TIME ONLY - the form may take as long as two minutes to submit. Do not press the button multiple times, as you may lose all your data.

    ​Submit one time, wait until the form disappears - you will be taken to a confirmation page to show that your form has submitted.
Press ONCE to submit

^   After pressing submit, your application will dissapear and be replaced by a confirmation.

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  • Home
  • Giving Back
    • Project Christmas
    • Apply for Christmas Help
    • Brick Angels Program >
      • Brick Angels Projects
      • Brick Angels Application
      • Brick Angels Karma Points
  • About Us
    • Reach Out To Us!
    • What We've Built >
      • Kaedin's World Record Attempt
      • Brickfest 2019 Scavenger Hunt
      • Set-Related Lego Builds
    • In Search Of!
    • Our Collection!
    • Our Lego Hauls!
    • Our Travels
    • Adventures in Lego
    • Project New & Updates
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
    • Living & Blogging EDS