Greetings from King Louie,
the toothless wonder dog !

Happy holidays! Here's a picture of me, the king, in all my splendor. I'm wearing my holiday finery (red and green neckerchief). I just came from the groomer's, which is why I'm NOT smiling. I'd like to see YOU smile after having the hair shaved off your -- oh never mind.

This is me with my owner, the Peanut Butter Queen, whom I adore. We're with some clown who claimed to be THE big man from the North Pole, but I didn't believe it for a second. For one thing, he didn't even bring me a milk bone biscuit. What a phony. And he didn't leave a cute female poodle under my tree on Christmas, either. Next time I see that guy, I'm going to bite him.

YOU can make a difference for some child(ren) this holiday season

The holiday season is no time for kids to feel sad. Unfortunately, most of the HUGS and HOPE Club kids have a lot to be sad about: needles, tests, surgeries, hospital stays, chemo treatments, infections, medicines, isolation, missing school and not being able to play with other children. . .

During this happy time of year,  these kids often miss out on the joy and excitement the season brings. With YOUR help, we can supply Christmas stockings and wrapped gifts to sick and needy children across the country.

Make the holiday special for a sick HUGS and HOPE Club kid. Volunteer to be an ELF and adopt (sponsor) a child in need. You'll receive his or her wish list, name, age, and mailing address. Then you shop for, wrap, and mail gifts in early December.

To see photos of kids opening gifts from their HUGS and HOPE elves last Christmas, click here.

To sign up, email our head elf, Autumn.

When you mail your gifts to the child you sponsor, we suggest that you enclose with your gifts a self-addressed, stamped envelope so the child can mail back a note to let you know he/she received your gifts.

Also, remember to include your email address in the package, so parents can easily contact you if they wish to.

We also recommend mailing your package with a return receipt requested so you will know exactly when the package is received. (Please do NOT email Autumn asking her to contact your sponsored child's family to check on the receipt of a package.)

Don't be disappointed if you don't receive a thank you from your sponsored child. These families are often overwhelmed with doctor visits, hospital stays, and caring for the sick child as well as running their households and trying to make ends meet, plus provide some sort of holiday celebration for their children. They often can't find the time to write thank you notes. And, unfortunately, a LOT of these kids spend Christmas in the hospital.

IIf you want to learn more about sending "happy mail" to kids in need of cheer, read our Getting Started Page