For immediate release
Contact: Kaylynn Dougall, Public relations 303-504-6555
Kaylynn.dougall@mhcd.org
Generous sponsors meet an increased need for holiday donations at the Mental Health Center of Denver
(Denver, CO – January 6, 2008) Fourteen Denver area businesses and 56 generous individuals donated over 1,650 gifts, $20 gift cards and $14,000 in cash to the Mental Health Center of Denver’s (MHCD) Gifts of Joy holiday gift drive.
The drive provided wrapped gifts for children living with violence and trauma allowing them to have a special holiday, just like other kids their age. Adult consumers of MHCD, many of whom are struggling financially and often receive no gifts at all at the holidays, received gift cards to stores like King Soopers, Safeway, Target and Wal-Mart to buy necessities or gifts for their families.
Our donors’ generosity helped us meet an increased need this year, up almost 100% over last year.
Gifts of Joy provided gifts for 1,200 children ages 1-18 and 785 adults.
Many of Denver’s kids were among our donors helping others their own age have a happy holiday. The grandson of an MHCD board member donated the proceeds from his piggy bank, Denver Girl Scout Troop 470 contributed and the daughter of a staff member and her friend gave the proceeds of their summer lemonade stand.
MHCD is grateful to the business offices of arc Thrift Stores, Avaya, Clifton Gunderson – Denver Client Services, Creager Mercantile, SEIU Local 105, Regional Office Staff/Office of Disability Review, and Qwest Communications whose employees worked together to purchase and donate gifts and gifts cards. Jazzercise on Capitol Hill and Jazzercise in University Hills Plaza and their participating customers, as well as, local groups from the Optimist Club of Monaco South and members of Holy Family Catholic Church also supported Gifts of Joy.
Contact Kaylynn Dougall at 303-504-6555 or kaylynn.dougall@mhcd.org.
Founded in 1989, MHCD is Colorado’s leading provider and key health care partner in the delivery of outcomes-based mental health services to the City and County of Denver.
MHCD serves over 11,500 individuals and offers a broad array of mental health services while specializing in the treatment of serious and persistent mental illness. MHCD has 43 locations throughout metro-Denver where children, families and adults of all ages access high-quality mental health services in neighborhood and community-based settings including clinics, day care centers, schools-based clinics and at home.
