The Chilton County Department of Human Resources is very thankful for the efforts of the county in helping to make the Christmas Wishes program so successful this year.

In the beginning of the season there were 155 foster children who needed to be sponsored for Christmas. Now there are only 18 children left.

The Christmas Wishes program was set up to help foster families get Christmas presents for the foster kids. Even with government funding foster families don’t have enough money to support foster kids throughout the year, let alone through Christmas. The Christmas Wishes program is a way to get Christmas presents for the kids to help make their lives more family oriented.

“Some of these kids come from homes that were not very stable and some may not even know what it is like to have a Christmas. That is something that we want to make sure we change when they come into the program,” DHR director Marilyn Colson said. “We have had a great response this year even with the bad economy and we are just excited to have as much support as we have.”

The DHR office will be taking donations through Monday, Dec. 15. If you are interested in sponsoring a child contact Marilyn Colson at 280-2000 or marilyn.colson@dhr.alabama.gov.

To make a financial donation, make checks payable to the Chilton DHR Foster Children’s Fund and mail them to P.O. Box 1699, 500 Airport Road Clanton, AL 35046-1699 or you can drop donations or gift cards off at our office on Airport Road next to the National Guard Armory.