Each year, departments across Nebraska Medicine and UNMC team to make sure our patients and their families in need have gifts to open during the holidays. Believe it or not, it’s already time to decide if your department is interested in taking part in this year’s Adopt a Family program.
“The ongoing support from our employees for the families we serve here at Nebraska Medicine over the holiday season is not only greatly appreciated by the families, it also is an honor for the Social Work Department to assist in the coordination,” said Christyn Niroomand-Rad, medical social worker.
Those in need range from individuals who are ill, alone and have financial challenges to families with several children.
Social work will begin identifying those families in need of assistance this year. There are a few changes this year. Your donation will not go through the development office, but instead will come directly to social work (specifically to social work administrative assistant Cyndi Valeika at cvaleika@nebraskamed.com).
If you want to adopt a family, please fill out this form and email it to Valeika or fax it to 402-559-4668 by Oct. 28. This will allow adequate time to match departments with a family. Please include in your notification the amount your department will be able to contribute. This helps to determine the size of family that can be helped. Social work will then match your department with a family and provide a wish list, with ages and sizes.
“We will do everything we can to make sure each department is matched with a family before the Thanksgiving weekend,” Niroomand-Rad said.
All departments can participate. Donations of all sizes will help families in need. Donations can be combined with other departments to support a family if needed.
To streamline the process, please follow these guidelines.
- Deliver gift cards to the social work office by Dec. 9 (so families can do their own shopping).
- Deliver gifts to the social work office no later than Dec. 19.
- Please no food deliveries this year. If you would like to assist with holiday meals, we ask that you provide a gift card to allow the family to shop for food for themselves at a store of their choice.
- Indicate if your department would be willing, or prefer to provide just gift cards to a location(s) of the family’s choice to allow them to shop for themselves. Many families/parents express the joy of shopping for Christmas for their families, where others need the assistance in the actual obtaining and wrapping of the items. Please indicate your preference if you have one.
- Indicate a contact person and number for your department if we have any questions.
Contact 402-559-4420 with questions.
Because the contributions are given directly to families, they are not tax deductible. If someone in your department wishes to make a tax-deductible gift, checks can be made payable to Nebraska Medicine and social work will use them for patient and family needs. Online contributions to patient assistance are available as well.