The Elf Louise Christmas Project is dedicated to bringing the joy of Christmas to the children of our community who otherwise would be at risk of not having a celebration of the Christmas season. Their theme is “Every child deserves a Christmas,” and their goal is to provide Santa delivery of wrapped gifts to children in our community.

Elf Louise serves approximately 18,000 children in Bexar County, from birth through 17, who otherwise would be at risk for not having a celebration of the Christmas season. Each child receives wrapped gifts, delivered to their homes by a Santa and a team of helper elves the week before Christmas. Parents/caregivers are notified in advance of the date and time so that the children will be home when Santa visits. For many of these children, these are the only gifts they receive. They react with joy and awe when Santa arrives in a red suit with a bag of wrapped gifts marked with their names.

The Project collaborates with more than 200 local social-service agencies to sign up families who are selected solely on the basis of need and without regard for race, gender, color, religion, national origin, or disability. To ensure there is no duplication of services, they work with the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots to cross-check lists of recipients.

Elf Louise is an all-volunteer organization. Thousands of community volunteers turn out to sort, wrap, and deliver the toys between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Toys are individually selected and wrapped for each child, and more than 400 Santas, aided by their teams of helper Elves, deliver the wrapped toys to the children in their homes. Many volunteers return year after year, and some who received toys through the Project as children turn out to help spread the joy they experienced. Go to www.elflouise.org to donate or to volunteer.