By Cass Rains Staff Writer
You can help make this Christmas a merry one for the children who are staying at Youth and Family Services of North Central Oklaho-ma’s shelter this holiday.
YSF Assistant Director Sean Byrne said it’s a common misconception the children staying at the shelter have done something wrong to stay there.
“The kids in the shelter aren’t bad kids,” he said. “They haven’t done anything wrong. They haven’t been charged with any crimes.”
Byrne said the shelter is a place for children, ranging in age from birth to 18-years-old, who have been victims of abuse or neglect, or are homeless or runaways.
“If a kid has done anything bad or has criminal charges they don’t come to us,” said Byrne. “These are kids who’ve had rough times during their lives.”
Youth and Family Services of North Central Oklahoma is an Enid-based nonprofit agency that provides therapeutic foster care placement, counseling and other family centered services to children and families. The agency primarily serves Garfield, Grant and Major counties.
Byrne said the median age of children who stay at the shelter is between 12 and 17 years old and they are wanting to get gifts for the kids this Christmas.
“It’s the holiday season and here they are in a shelter,” he said. “We want to make the holidays as nice as possible for them.”
He said the children have created online wish lists at ww.toysrus.com and www.walmart.com for the holiday season. The lists can be found by entering “YFS” as the first and last name in the required fields.
Gifts range from toys, arts and crafts, games, movies, comforters, sheets and bedding.
Byrne also said gifts would be welcomed and appreciated if dropped off, preferably unwrapped, at the shelter between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“It’s some ideas of things to get for the kids,” he said. “Some of the things are things we can keep in the shelter for kids to use while they are there.
“We want it to be as comfortable and homey as it possibly can.”
The shelter is located at 605 W. Oxford, at Oxford and Midway, with parking on the east side of the shelter.
