OKLAHOMA CITY – No matter what holiday you are celebrating in December, there are usually gifts involved.

With Christmas Day and Hanukkah both falling on December 25, and Kwanzaa starting on December 26, people from all around the world will have reason to exchange gifts with friends and loved ones. I should say most people, as there are many who are without anyone in their lives other than those generous strangers who provide the means to share a bit of joy with those truly in need.

Think back over the past and remember that one special item which brought joy to you. I can think of many great things received, even with my family often struggling to make ends meet. One of my friends had a handheld video game, Donkey Kong, and I really wanted one of my own.

My parents gave me a gift to open one Christmas morning. It was a video game cartridge of the game that I wanted, but I assumed they did not realize that it was not the item that I wanted and would not work without the Atari console. To surprise me, they brought out the console it would play on following my look of dejection. I was thrilled. It was special to have something like this, a gift I never expected to receive.

I was lucky. I had parents willing to make that type of financial sacrifice to see me happy. In fact, I appreciate all they were did to provide opportunities for me, along with people in the community where I grew up who helped me have the chance to take 4-H trips, participate in activities, and be involved in programs which set me on the path to service.

With my current job, I often see the tribulations many modernday youths face. Far too many do not have family members who provide a safe and loving home for their children. When this happens, the state must find a suitable place for children to remain until problems are resolved and reunification can happen, or adoption when no other option is left.

According to the state-run website okfosters. org, there are currently 5,824 children currently in the custody of the state as foster children, with 350 waiting to enter the system. Oklahoma Human Services estimates that there are 736 families needed to serve as foster or bridge parents for youth at this moment.

At one point, Oklahoma ranked ninth in the nation for grandparents raising their own children’s children. Much of that number is contributed to incarceration rates for single parents or sometimes even both parents. Other family members are often called upon to take in youngsters when something happens which requires the children to be taken from their mothers and fathers so as to avoid foster care. These family members often do not receive financial support similar to what foster parents receive from the state to care for children due to budget constraints.

Many of these children will be fortunate to eventually return to their biological parents, but they need a safe, loving environment until that occurs. If you are able and have the means, please consider giving that special gift to a child who is enduring the most traumatic experience of their young life: being a foster parent.

Oklahoma is in desperate need of those who could open their home to a child in need and make that difference to them. If you are moved to do so, please call 1-800-376-9729 to learn more. Please also share this thought with friends, your church, and others so together, we can ensure each of these children has the brightest of holidays possible.