Tucson nonprofits switch focus to Christmas fundraisers

With Thanksgiving so late in the year, the window for Christmas and holiday giving is condensed, and the fact that money is tight for many shrinks that window even more.

“We work with many lower income families and there is a lot of uncertainty now,” said Dina Scalone, External Relations Officer for Aviva Children’s Services. “People are worried about possible changes coming down the road to Medicaid and AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System) in Arizona. Several food programs that we partner with have cut back on programming, so that has also been a big stress.”

The local nonprofit, which operates under the umbrella of the Easter Seals Blake Foundation, provides emergency services, ongoing support and comprehensive behavioral health services for more than 3,000 children in foster care annually. It engages the community through numerous events, including the Annual Holiday Toy Drive.

Aviva is more than a week into the drive, which seeks to collect toys and gifts for 2,000 youth in foster and kinship care (provided by extended family members or friends). In the last few weeks, with the support from the City of Tucson, Aviva has also provided emergency food boxes to many of the kinship families that it serves.

“We have seen a bigger demand on our emergency resource program, but it wasn’t designed to provide ongoing support,” Scalone said. “It is supposed to be used to bridge gaps during emergencies, but we are seeing more and more families in crisis.”

Even with the resolution of the government shutdown last week, Scalone said that holiday festivities will take a back seat for many families, and Aviva “is committed to making sure every child in foster care receives holiday gifts.”

Scalene said there is a particular need for gifts for ages newborn to 12 months and for teens, who typically request items such as earbuds and headphones; sports equipment (basketballs, footballs, etc.); craft supplies; jewelry, makeup and bath sets; and card games.

Volunteers can also donate time and talent by assisting with pick-up of gifts from collection boxes and set-up and distribution of toys to families during the giveaway from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, through Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6565 E. Broadway Blvd. Volunteers are also needed for clean-up from 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11.

Betsy Bruce, who has been a board member for Easter Seals Blake Foundation/Aviva Children’s Services since 1990, is among the volunteers who have experienced the magic of the Aviva holiday event.

“I think because these kids are already at a kind of tenuous point in their lives, when they realize that the holidays will still be celebrated and they will receive some gifts, it makes them feel like they are loved. And that is exactly what we want to show them through Aviva,” said Bruce, who was awarded the Association of Fundraising Professionals 2025 Philanthropist of the Year Award last week.

She wants to make Tucsonans aware that financial contributions made through April 15, 2026, may provide a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on 2025 Arizona state income taxes. AVIVA is a Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organization (QFCO), and the 2025 contribution limit is $1,262 for married couples filing jointly and $632 for single filers.

Financial and in-kind donations are also needed by Youth On Their Own (YOTO), which supports homeless and near-homeless teens in their efforts to finish high school.

The nonprofit is staging its annual Spread the Warmth campaign through December 31 in an effort to assist 1,500 students.

“With the ‘Spread the Warmth’ campaign, we used to collect blankets for kids, and we still collect those, but we have expanded the campaign to the warmth of food and the warmth of someone having your back, especially right now. Folks need more than just blankets,” said Bethany Neumann, Director of Development for YOTO.

Neumann said that many of the teens YOTO supports “couch surf” with family members or friends who don’t have the financial resources to take on more children, so donations of non-perishable food and hygiene items for the YOTO Mini Mall are particularly helpful. Most needed items include individually packaged snacks (chips, granola bars, trail mix, fruit snacks, jerky); mac and cheese and ramen cups; dry pasta and pasta sauce (no glass); canned fruit and shelf-stable milk.

Financial contributions made by Arizona residents to YOTO may qualify for the Arizona Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) tax credit (which is separate from the QFCO and can be made in addition to the Foster Care credit). The 2025 QCO contribution limit is $987 for married couples filing jointly and $495 for single filers.