Since the inception of the Drayton Florence Foundation in 2005, Thanksgiving has been one of the very special holidays near and dear to the heart of all of us at the foundation.
A holiday centered around giving thanks for the blessings in our lives, Thanksgiving especially is a time of year we all go about our annual events of celebrating with family and friends, and yet there are thousands of children in the communities that we work and live who don’t have families to celebrate and give thanks with.
Starting in 2010, the foundation committed to a “Day of Thanksgiving” in both Ocala, FL and Buffalo, NY. In Ocala each year, we’ve partnered with the great folks at Take Stock in Children, a premier statewide mentoring program for at-risk, low-income students. Locally a program of the Public Education Foundation of Marion County, Take Stock in Children provides students with a caring mentor throughout high school and a Florida PrePaid scholarship upon successful completion of the program. At the annual “Day of Thanksgiving”, the Drayton Florence Foundation provides these students and their families with a basket full of all the Thanksgiving goodies so that they may celebrate the holiday and give thanks together, as a family.
In 2011 in Buffalo, the foundation partnered for the first time with WNY Heroes, a Buffalo area nonprofit whose mission is to provide veterans, members of the armed services, and the widows and children of deceased veterans with access to essential services and resources that support their lives and sustain their dignity. Founded in 2007 by U.S. Army veteran Chris M. Kreiger and community activist Dionne Kane, WNY Heroes is a not-for-profit organization serving the needs of Western New York’s veterans and their families.
At the event, the foundation provides these very special families with a full Thanksgiving meal and gives thanks for their service and their personal sacrifices made every single day to protect the very freedom we enjoy every day.
As 2012 saw a move to the city of Detroit and the Detriot Lions, the foundation partnered with the great folks at Meijer to provide full Thanksgiving meals to 31 families at the Cody Rouge Community Center.
At this very special time of year, we encourage you to get involved in your local community, or join us! Email info@draytonflorencefoundation.com to find out how you can assist us during the holidays!