Bringing Hope to Families through Easter Baskets for Families First Colorado

Volunteers’ children are excited about delivering the Easter baskets to Families First Colorado.

Holidays can be a time of special heartache for children who have been removed from their homes due to child abuse. To ease the burdens of children displaced from their homes this Easter, members of the Denver Colorado Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) worked to collect 57 Easter baskets to be delivered to Families First Colorado in time for the Easter holiday.

Families First Colorado is an organization that works to support abused children by allowing the children to be brought to the organization at any time during the day or night when needed. Founders of Families First believed that preventing child abuse and neglect is more than a social service problem, but is a community problem that requires direct community involvement. Families First offers a place for neglected or abused children to stay as well as offering counseling, support, and education to parents in the community.

The Easter baskets went to children living at the Families First home and to children of the parents receiving counseling and support. As service organizer, Jill Whelan said, “It was heartwarming to see the generosity of our LDS church members as I picked up the baskets from different homes. My eyes were filled with tears every time I walked into my living room (where the baskets were being held until delivery) to find 50+ colorful baskets. The outreach efforts of our members is so touching.

So much good is being done on many levels in our community. What a blessing it is to be involved in such a powerful work.”

To learn more about service opportunities with Families First Colorado, visit www.justserve.org, a community service web site created by the LDS Church to link community members with local service organizations.