Vista Maria Needs Your Help To Make Christmas Memorable For At-Risk Girls
DEARBORN HEIGHTS (WWJ) - With the holidays here, we all should be happy, right? Unfortunately, that's not always the case. For some young girls left on their own or who are otherwise in a hard place in their lives, the holiday season can be difficult.
Sometimes there's a reason young girls, like 17-year-old Antoinette, end up at Vista Maria, an all-girl sanctuary in Dearborn Heights.
"Truancy, and I didn't have a home to go to," Antoinette told WWJ's Mike Campbell.
At Vista Maria, girls like Antoinette learn how to turn their dark outlook on life into a bright future. But during the holidays, it's hard to keep that light shining so brightly.
"You see a lot of families hanging out with their kids and you hope that you could be one of those children that gets to go and see their family," said Antoinette. "And sometimes you know you're not that kid that's going to go see their family, so you get sad."
To help ease those feelings of loneliness, Vista Maria is asking the public to donate items that will be wrapped by volunteers and delivered to the girls on Christmas morning.
"I'd love an MP3 player because, you know, music is a lot of our coping skills, and then a robe because it would be nice to have a robe and feel comfy and at home," said Antoinette. "And slippers, you can never go wrong with slippers. And I put boots because in the snow, you don't want to step in snow and get your feet wet."
Other items on the wish list include personal radios, towel sets, hair accessories, flat irons, make-up, yoga pants and t-shirts (all sizes), flat shoes, activity books and journals.
Click here to see the complete wish list (.pdf format)
Items will be collected until December 12, and can be dropped of Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Vista Maria, located at 20651 West Warren Street in Dearborn Heights. For more information, call 313-271-3050.