Organizations grant Christmas wishes for older foster kids

Foster youth, particularly teens, may find at Christmas time, that they don’t have anyone to ask for Christmas gifts. Three organizations have stepped in to help their Christmas wishes come true.

"Just imagine what it would be like if you had grown up with no one to ask for a Christmas gift," said Mike Robbins, president of Alaska Integrated Media.

Pump up the Kids is a program started by Alaska Integrated Media, which runs local radio stations, including rock station KZND. The program is helping just under 200 kids in Southcentral Alaska. A major fundraiser for the program was the 12 Days of Christmas pub crawl, which was canceled this year because it was scheduled to be held the day after the earthquake. The Office of Children’s Services helps coordinate with the kids and deliver the gifts.

Rep. Les Gara runs a laptop drive for foster youth. “We wanted to make sure that youth in foster care have the same chances to succeed in school, or college or trade school as anyone else. And it’s hard to do those things without a laptop,” Gara said.

> is raising funds and taking giftsthrough Saturday, while the

laptop drive is in place year-round.

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