Wish Upon A Star

This annual Christmas program provides over 2,000 Christmas gifts to benefit those in need in and around the Fort Bend area.  Individuals and families served include: children, elderly, refugees, families in crisis and the military.  Recipients are identified by referral from several area service agencies and other Catholic parishes, as well as directly through our Social Concerns Ministry office.

 
The Social Concerns Ministry (SCM) Staff and Volunteers begin preparing for the event in October by contacting area agencies and other Parishes for their referrals.  These agencies work directly with their participants to complete a detailed list of their Christmas gift wishes.  These lists are then forwarded to the SCM for inclusion in the Wish Upon a Star (WUAS) gift drive.

SCM Staff and Volunteers collect and organize all the lists from the various agencies and create individual “GIFT TAGS”, one for each recipient.  These tags are made available to our Parishioners on “Tag Lines” displayed after Masses during the later part of November.  Parishioners are invited to take a tag and fulfill a Christmas wish by newly purchasing the item(s) listed.  Many of our receiving agencies host Christmas parties starting in early December and the donated gifts are the highlight of those events.  Parishioners are asked to make every effort to drop their unwrapped* gifts off by the deadlines indicated to accommodate those pre-scheduled events.

*In order to ensure the accuracy of the gift and it's appropriateness, and due to the fact that the majority of receiving agencies request the gifts be unwrapped, we request that all gifts be donated unwrapped. 
 
Volunteer Opportunities - There are several volunteer opportunities during this event:
 

          Tag Line – Work the tag lines after Mass to help with the distribution of the individual
                            Gift Tags.

          Empty Drop-Off Bins – After Masses, move the donated gifts from the drop-off bins
                             in the Narthex of the Church to the Social Concerns Workroom
 
          Sorters/QC – Sort incoming gifts by agency and check for gift accuracy
                            and appropriateness
 
          Shoppers – Shop with funds provided for missing and late gifts
 
          Wrappers – Help to wrap gifts for those agencies requesting that special touch. 
                          Note: This is an excellent volunteer  opportunity for small groups of
                         8 to 12 (Adults and older Teens only).
 
This effort runs non-stop from October until mid-December when the gifts are picked up for distribution.  Check the bulletin or website, and listen for announcements at Mass starting in November, for tag line dates, gift drop-off deadlines, and details on signing up to volunteer.

Missed the tag line but still want to participate?  We gladly accept monetary donations to fill in for late or missing gift requests.  Cash, or checks payable to ST. LAURENCE, noted for Wish Upon a Star may be dropped in the collection basket at Mass, dropped off in the parish office or mailed to:

St. Laurence Social Concerns
(Wish Upon A Star)
3100 Sweetwater Blvd.
Sugar Land, TX 77479