Bright Holidays - A Jacksonville, Florida Charity for Underprivileged Students and Families

Ways to Help Underprivileged Students

Helping is easy and rewarding. Bright Holidays encourages anyone looking to lend a hand to get involved. Currently, Bright Holidays is accepting donations for the 2010 holiday season and welcomes contributions of any amount. Every dollar helps and, please remember, Bright Holidays uses all monies raised to help those in need, i.e., Bright Holidays retains nothing for salaries or routine operating expenses. If you would like to help us brighten someone's holidays, use the Donate button on this page and you'll bring joy to someone less fortunate this holiday season. Note, in 2011 we'll send you a report showing how we spent the monies raised.

In addition to raising funds, Bright Holidays also welcomes volunteers and is currently looking for those who have time in early December to shop, wrap and deliver gifts of clothing, food, school supplies and other essential items. For students, Bright Holidays offers a fun, festive way to earn service hours. For families, Bright Holidays affords an opportunity to give as a family by participating in wrapping and delivering presents. Currently, we have Wrapping Days scheduled for Saturday, December 4 and Saturday, December 11, from 8:30 to 12:30. Please contact us to sign up.

Please get involved and enjoy the season of giving. Your contribution of time and/or money will truly have an impact and you'll gain the satisfaction of knowing you made a difference in someone's life.

One-Time Online Donation

Donate to Bright Holidays using PayPal »»

Know that Bright Holidays uses every dollar of every donation to help those in need. Nothing is retained for salaries, office space or other routine operating expenses.

Donation by Mail

If you would like to donate by mail, please send your check, payable to Bright Holidays, 24532 Deer Trace Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082.

Frequently Asked Questions About Donations

Is my contribution tax-deductible?
Yes. Bright Holidays is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are fully tax deductible.

How will the my donation be used? Will a portion of my donation go towards paying your staff?
All monies raised by Bright Holidays go to help those in need. Nothing is retained for salaries, office space or other routine operating expenses. This is possible because Bright Holidays relies solely on volunteers and enjoys business relationships with area firms who provide pro bono accounting, legal, marketing and technology services.

How does Bright Holidays identify those in need?
Bright Holidays works through local schools where, over the course of the fall semester, faculty members determine who is in need of assistance. Each school compiles a list of students (and families) and, upon approval by the school principal, submits its list to Bright Holidays.

What types of items or gifts does Bright Holidays actually provide?
Bright Holidays provides comfort to children and their families in many ways. Since 2003 Bright Holidays has provided food, clothing, school supplies, books and other essential items. Bright Holidays also provided some small children with toys.

Does Bright Holidays really make a difference?
We believe Bright Holidays truly has an impact. Bright Holidays began when its founder learned of children: who stayed home from school when temperatures dropped because they didn't own a coat; who had never received a holiday gift; who slept on floors without blankets; who didn't have basic school supplies; and who went without food because their families had very little income. These are the people Bright Holidays helps.

How did Bright Holidays perform in 2009?
Learn more on how Bright Holidays helped improve the lives of underprivileged students in Jacksonville by downloading our 2009 summary (PDF).

What are schools saying about Bright Holidays?

As in prior years, we received many thank you notes from students, their parents and school administrators; please find samples attached (with names removed).

• Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
• Early Steps Children's Medical Services
• Garden City Elementary School
• Greenwood School
• Mattie V. Rutherford Middle School
• North Shore K-8 MicroSociety School
• Stonewall Jackson Elementary School

What are some challenges for 2010?
We anticipate new challenges in 2010. Raising funds in our current economic climate will doubtless prove difficult while the need for charitable giving appears destined for new heights. Difficulty notwithstanding, our Board of Directors remains committed to helping the children of less fortunate families, often the unintended victims of lost jobs and rising costs. We will therefore expand our ranks, adding two to three new members, increase the number of volunteers and raise the intensity of our fund-raising efforts. We will also remain vigilant in our use of time and resources to ensure we continue returning virtually 100% of every dollar raised to our community.

It is our hope that this information gives you confidence that 2009 donation were well spent. Moreover, I hope it encourages you to be a part of Bright Holidays and to continue supporting our efforts. Together, we can make a difference.

I can't make a donation right now. Are there other ways I can contribute?
If you can't make a donation for the 2010 holiday season, give us your time. We're currently looking for volunteers to help wrap and deliver gifts of clothing, food, school supplies and other essential items.