For decades, the Viola Blythe Community Service Center and League of Volunteers have brought joy and hope to families in need of assistance. This holiday season, they anticipate serving hundreds of families through their annual Adopt-a-Family program.
Adopt-a-Family centers around helping families in the Tri-City Area who may need assistance this holiday season. Decorations, food and gifts are significant when celebrating the holidays, yet many struggle to fulfill even one out of the three. Viola Blythe’s executive director, Debbie Caravalho-Rodriguez, has run Adopt-a-Family for over 20 years and is set to retire at the end of this year.
Though bittersweet about her departure, she fondly reflects on how much the nonprofit has evolved since her mother, Viola Blythe, established it in 1989. Blythe had a difficult childhood herself. Caravalho-Rodriguez explains, “My mom grew up in an orphanage at a young age and was separated from all her siblings. She instilled in me what it was like not having anything growing up.” It was Blythe’s adversity and big heart that led to the vision of the Viola Blythe Community Center.
To keep up with the times, the nonprofit has transitioned the Adopt-a-Family application process from in person to online. Tri-City locals interested in getting adopted can register online and provide their personal wish list. From there, families are matched with the best fit of donors. Viola Blythe volunteers then work on shopping for and collecting the gifts. Families are given meals, clothes, toys and even gift cards.
“It’s so rewarding to see families feel special when they get adopted,” Caravalho-Rodriguez said.
Last year, Viola Blythe helped 18,000 people. This year, the amount has increased to 20,000. The nonprofit has witnessed many challenging circumstances that locals find themselves in, from families misplaced and living in hotel rooms due to devastating fires, to families who have had a child pass away.
“We had a mother who would carry her handicapped son to our facility because they couldn’t afford a wheelchair. She was only 4’9”,” said Caravalho-Rodriguez. “We would always give her a ride home afterwards.” It’s these stories that emphasize how essential nonprofits like Viola Blythe are.
“It’s a hard job but rewarding because families are grateful to get the support they need,” Caravalho-Rodriguez said.
Viola Blythe is not the only nonprofit with an Adopt-a-Family program; League of Volunteers (LOV) participates as well. LOV executive director Jodie Aquino-Sisk has run the program for the past three years. “We match 100 families with generous and caring sponsors who then provide them with personalized gifts,” she said.
LOV’s Adopt-a-Family program was initiated by LOV founder Shirley Sisk, whose goal was for every child to have something to talk about when they returned to school from the holidays, despite their families enduring hard times.
“These programs are important because there are families who are just one paycheck away from being homeless,” said Aquino-Sisk. “We want to bridge that gap and have them not go into the New Year feeling like they’re in debt and have to sacrifice food or medications to celebrate the holidays.”
For families who do not get matched, LOV supplements with a box of holiday food and toys from their year-round toy drive. Last year, 100 turkeys and holiday meal boxes were provided to families to make their own holiday dinner, along with additional gifts from sponsors. LOV also shares resources with local nonprofits, including Viola Blythe Community Services and Tri-City Volunteers Food Bank.
Making a family’s holidays feel not only possible but magical is what Aquino-Sisk values the most. She shares a time when an elderly couple in their mid-80s with special needs sons in their 50s and 60s reached out to LOV about participating in the Adopt-a-Family program.
The sons were not only gifted everything off their wish list, but the family was provided a giftcard to Honey Baked Ham as well as a Christmas tree and decorations. The mother was given her own personalized gift, despite not asking for anything for herself.
Aquino-Sisk said, “What really hit me was knowing she would take care of them until she couldn’t anymore. That dedication was very moving. They absolutely deserved to have a special, magical Christmas.”
The heart of the holidays goes beyond the glitz and glamour often associated with it. Spending time with loved ones and providing for them is what makes the season merry and bright. Nonprofits like Viola Blythe and LOV are why those who may be struggling this holiday season will have the opportunity to rightfully experience Christmas cheer like any other family.
Viola Blythe
LOV
