A Word from our Founder, Dianne Weed
There is something magical about childhood. Most look back at those times and smile, but there are many whose childhood is a nightmare that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Nightmares that will leave them longing for acceptance and love.
The Twig takes every opportunity we can to pour into the children we serve. To inspire and encourage them to walk into their future with their head held high. How do we do that? One smile at a time as they come through our doors. We have over 150 active volunteers that work hard to make these kids feel special each time they visit.
This year we are proud to have had the opportunity to offer trauma training to our volunteers to better help them understand the kids that come through our doors. Kids that often can’t make a decision. A decision that to us seems so simple but to them can bring back memories that we can’t imagine.
With the number of shopping experiences on the rise at the Twig, our shopping days are busy to put it mildly, but we work hard to not see the numbers but to see each individual child. Children that are hurting because of no fault of their own. I think of the girl that was sold into sex trafficking by her own mother and the little boy that came with bruises from his dad all over him and the boy that told me how drugs had killed almost all of his family.
These kids deserve to have experiences that make them feel special. Opportunities that allow them to be brave enough to dare to dream of a bright future for themselves. Cinderella was still just Cinderella, but her fairy godmother provided her with a way to see herself in a different way and it changed everything. That is what we want for these kids. For them to have a chance to face the world with confidence and to know that there are people out here that care about them.
There are approximately 20,000 children in the foster care system in the state of Florida. Children that have great potential to change the world if they were just given the chance. If you would like to know more about what we do and how you can help, please check out the rest of our website.
The Twig takes every opportunity we can to pour into the children we serve. To inspire and encourage them to walk into their future with their head held high. How do we do that? One smile at a time as they come through our doors. We have over 150 active volunteers that work hard to make these kids feel special each time they visit.
This year we are proud to have had the opportunity to offer trauma training to our volunteers to better help them understand the kids that come through our doors. Kids that often can’t make a decision. A decision that to us seems so simple but to them can bring back memories that we can’t imagine.
With the number of shopping experiences on the rise at the Twig, our shopping days are busy to put it mildly, but we work hard to not see the numbers but to see each individual child. Children that are hurting because of no fault of their own. I think of the girl that was sold into sex trafficking by her own mother and the little boy that came with bruises from his dad all over him and the boy that told me how drugs had killed almost all of his family.
These kids deserve to have experiences that make them feel special. Opportunities that allow them to be brave enough to dare to dream of a bright future for themselves. Cinderella was still just Cinderella, but her fairy godmother provided her with a way to see herself in a different way and it changed everything. That is what we want for these kids. For them to have a chance to face the world with confidence and to know that there are people out here that care about them.
There are approximately 20,000 children in the foster care system in the state of Florida. Children that have great potential to change the world if they were just given the chance. If you would like to know more about what we do and how you can help, please check out the rest of our website.
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Our Impact
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A Note From our Director of Development, Nicole Britton
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Did you know the average cost for each child’s shopping experience at The Twig is around $100? Every month we serve around 400 children. What a blessing that our community has wrapped around us and helped us meet the needs of each of these children month after month. Simply put, we could not do it without the support of our donors. While some donate physical items, and some donate financially through monthly giving or grants, many give by attending our fundraisers.
Each year we host three fundraisers in-house at The Twig. “A Taste for The Twig” is held in September in Venice, followed by “Turkey Trot for The Twig 5k” in November in Venice, then our “Fostering Love Gala” in January in Lakewood Ranch. A lot of planning and love by our staff and volunteer committees is put into making these events fun and impactful. As we wrap up 2023 we are humbled by the success that was achieved at “A Taste for The Twig”, raising a record amount of money that will be critical to meet the growing needs of our area children in foster care. The food was delicious thanks to our restaurant sponsors and the guests were brought to tears by our volunteer stories of impact shared throughout the program. Save the date for next year's event on September 14, 2024. We just completed our “Turkey Trot” 5k. We had a record number of race participants this year with around 450 people! It was a great morning thanks to our sponsors, including title sponsor Smoothie King. This is a fundraiser to support our mission but is also a foster care awareness event. With statistics on the course to educate our runners and foster care support agencies on site to share how people can get involved. This event is always on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. Looking forward to 2024 our “Fostering Love Gala” is also in the planning stages. With a new venue this year at The Grove Lakewood Ranch we are excited to host the same beautiful event in a new space. This is our largest fundraiser of the year and includes our live auction, paddle raise, and many fun additional ways to donate. This event is our only event in the beginning of the calendar year and will be held on January 20, 2024. All our events are held close together to maximize the ability for our seasonal donors to attend the ones that fit their lifestyle. We are appreciative to all our sponsors, guests, and donors that support these three events and look forward to continuing to see you enjoying them. Information on all the events is listed on our website and our Facebook page, or click the links below. |
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Mark Your Calendar for our Upcoming Events!
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Thank you to our 2023 Event Sponsors!
Would you like to become an Event Sponsor?
Go to: TheTwigCares.com/EventSponsors
Or contact [email protected] for more information
Go to: TheTwigCares.com/EventSponsors
Or contact [email protected] for more information
Other Ways Our Community Helps Support The Twig
Our community has come up with all kinds of creative ways to support The Twig by bringing awareness to their neighborhoods, clubs, churches, businesses and organizations. If you would like to host a fundraiser or a collection drive, please give us a call at 941-220-7958 and we would be happy to speak with you.
Venice Area Board of Realtors hosts an annual "Splittin' Clays for Charity" event with The Twig as one of it's supported charities!
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Antique Automobile Club of America's Venice Region held an Antique Car Show with proceeds going to support The Twig!
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One of our Foster Parents recommended us to his workplace for their Charity Champion program. He offered to run a marathon if they were able to raise over $6,000. Watch for Tom Calvert at the Sarasota Marathon in January! They raised $6,500 for The Twig!
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Several of our local schools support us by doing collection drives of new clothes. Venice Christian school collected socks for The Twig!
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Communities hold block parties with new pajamas as the "admission fee"!
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Our annual Fostering Feet event in Venice, and our Sneakin Back to School event in Bradenton were organized by Ajax Paving and TLC Women's Circle. Together they brought in over 800 pairs of shoes for The Twig!
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The Haven-South Campus/Venice Aktion Club collected socks, underwear, pajamas and shoes for The Twig!
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Donors shop our Wishlist on Amazon and have greatly needed items sent directly to us!
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2024 is a Giving Challenge Year!April 9th and 10th, 2024 from noon to noon, The Community Foundation of Sarasota County will be hosting its biennial Giving Challenge!
Stay tuned for more information on how to get your donations matched during this amazing Community Event. |
We can't do what we do without contributions from donors, like you.
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Learn about how to become a
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Our Founder, Dianne Weed published her book!
A Poem by Foster Mom,
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