Our End of the Year Efforts
IST's Gives Back
Ticket To Dream Foundation and Foster Children
There are over 392,000 children currently in the American foster care system. These children range from newborn to 21, with an average age of 6. Living through the foster care system can be incredibly difficult, creating an overwhelming, scary, and lonely environment.
Access to the tools necessary to succeed makes a massive difference for school-aged children. The Ticket to Dream Foundation understands that kids deserve to be kids. Doing well in school is one focus within the foundation's commitment to supporting and nurturing foster children, ensuring they are on a path to a thriving adult future.
Founded in 2008, Ticket to Dream works with local businesses and communities to provide school supplies, essential items, clothing, holiday gifts, and more for foster children. In addition to collecting items, the foundation provides enriching life experiences such as music lessons, tickets to fun events, the opportunity to join a sports team, etc. These activities are vital to a child's development of essential life skills while providing them with much-needed normalcy and fun. As these children grow toward adulthood, their needs grow with them. The foundation funds aging-out programs that contribute housing, technological resources that assist in finding employment, and crucial life skills.
IST Goes Back to School
IST Gives Back has learned much about how a community can unite to support those in need. The 2023 Back to School Season allowed us to host our School Supplies Drive at Corporate. For the last three months, employees have donated supplies through our custom Target Registry or from their own shopping. We are incredibly grateful for the donations and the support we can show children in the Atlanta community. In total we collected 6 boxes with around 200lbs of supplies that will be shipped directly to the Inspiritus Children and Family Services Program, which will distribute items directly to the children they work with.
The Giving Season Toy Drive
"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." - Mother Theresa.
Our last Gives Back quarterly focus for 2023 is The Giving Season. The holidays should be filled with as much joy, peace, and laughter for families and their children.
This holiday season, IST Gives Back will partner with MUST Ministries to support their annual MUST Holiday Toy Shop, where parents can shop for various gifts and necessities organized by age group and item. Those interested in participating in our Giving Season Toy Drive can bring new and unwrapped gifts for children ages 0-18 to Corporate or make an online purchase on the Must Toy Shop Amazon Wishlist.
