How You Can Help
There are many ways you can make a difference in the lives of children and families in our community. Here are just a few:
- Donate Today!
- Planned Giving
- Sponsor a Child
- Workplace Giving
- Memorial/Honor Giving
- Giving through Stock
- Event Sponsorship
- Adopt Us!
- In-Kind Giving
- Volunteer
Your gift can help a child in need today. Checks may be made payable to Children’s Friend, Inc. and sent to 21 Cedar Street, Worcester, MA 01609, to the attention of Karen E. Ludington, President and CEO. We also accept Master Card and Visa. For credit card transactions, use the red “Donate Now!” button above, or call Kevin Brandriff in our Development Office at 508-459-6447, or send an email to kbrandriff@childrensfriend.org. The donation amount will be safely processed for you.
Planned giving allows you to make a gift that will last a lifetime. By including Children’s Friend in your will, you are making sure that help continues for those who truly need it.
At-risk children in our community need mental health services, but many cannot get the services they need without financial help. By contributing to the Treatment Scholarship Fund at Children’s Friend, you are ensuring that a child will be able to receive the services he or she desperately needs, regardless of the family’s ability to pay.
Your gift can make even more of a difference when it is matched by the company you work for. Many businesses have matching gift programs and can even match the entire amount of the gift that you are making to Children’s Friend. Ask if your company has a matching gift program today!
There are many ways to honor someone special. Making a charitable contribution to Children’s Friend in memory or in honor of a fried or family member is a way to show your respect and to help children at the same time. We not only accept memorial gifts, but gifts in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, weddings, births and any other special occasion.
Many people don’t realize that if you own stock, it’s often more tax-savvy to contribute stock, rather than donate cash. A gift of appreciated stock offers a twofold tax saving. First, you avoid paying any capital gains tax on the increase in the value of the stock. Second, you receive an income tax charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the stock at the time of the gift. Please contact Karen Ludington at (508)753-5425 if you would like to discuss stock donation.
Children’s Friend holds several large events each year. Each event presents the opportunity for business, group or individual sponsorship at many levels. You and your business get publicity and help our community, all at the same time. Contact Deborah Huegel, Director of Marketing and Events, at 508-753-5425 or dhuegel@childrensfriend.org today for information about sponsoring our next event.
We are looking for businesses, groups or organizations that would like to adopt Worcester’s oldest adoption agency – us! We will come to your business or organization to give a presentation about Children’s Friend and work with a representative to set up a collection of donations. The ‘adoption’ can be for as long or as short a time as you’d like.
Another way you or your business or organization can contribute to Children’s Friend is through the donation of goods or services. We use these donations for our events or for everyday operations. When you make an in-kind donation, we do not have to spend money on these goods or services, therefore saving the funds for something much more important –helping the children and families of Central Massachusetts.
Volunteering at our events or for a special project at Children’s Friend also allows you to give the gift of your time. Please contact Deborah Huegel, Director of Marketing and Events, at 508-753-5425 or dhuegel@childrensfriend.org with your name, address, and contact information along with what type of volunteer opportunity interests you. Please see our Grief Center page to learn how you can be trained to volunteer in The Carriage House, our free grief support center for children, teens, and families. You can contact the Carriage House Director, Dr. Johanna Sagarin, for details. jsagarin@childrensfriend.org.
