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In our mission, it is most rewarding to help bring joy to a child’s life who hasn’t had anything to smile about in a long time. This newsletter shares the many amazing ways our community is coming together this month to provide much needed smiles and gifts of love for the children we care for who have been abused, neglected, or are at-risk. Thank you for your gifts of happiness and hope for a better tomorrow! - Craig Secher, Executive Director, Realities For Children |
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Thanks to the generosity of Toddy Cold Brew System, every gift made today will be matched up to $15,000. That means your kindness reaches twice as many children in our community who are facing abuse, neglect, or urgent crisis situations.
When a child has no safe place to go… when basic needs can’t wait… when hope feels out of reach — your support ensures we can respond when there is nowhere else to turn.
Most importantly your gift lets these children know that they are not alone during crisis and that there are people who care and are there for them when they need it most.
Thank you for helping us to see that no child is forgotten and giving the gift of hope for a brighter tomorrow |
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Thank You for Making the 28th Annual NightLights Celebration Shine Bright!On Monday evening, December 1st, our community gathered at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins for Realities For Children’s 28th Annual NightLights tree-lighting celebration. Thanks to the incredible support of our attendees, sponsors, and donors, the event successfully raised both awareness and critical funding to address child abuse and neglect in our community.
This year’s gathering once again reminded us why NightLights matters. 100% of every NightLights donation goes directly to our Emergency Fund, providing immediate help to children who have been abused, neglected, or are at-risk. Your generosity brings safety, dignity, and hope to the children who need it most.
Although the NightLights tree-lighting event has passed, our outreach to brighten the lives of children in need continues through the end of December. As you consider your year-end giving, we invite you to make a gift that reaches further into the darkness of child abuse by giving them a NightLight! |
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Thank you for standing with us and for bringing hope to Northern Colorado’s most vulnerable children.
The NightLights tree is a beacon of hope, and you can still see it every night of December! Each night, starting at 5:00pm, the tree lights up with a spectacular show every 30 minutes. Be sure to stop by and see it when you are in Old Town Fort Collins during the holidays. |
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Please enjoy this video of the 2025 NightLights tree-lighting celebration. |
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THANK YOU TO OUR NIGHTLIGHTS SPONSORS! |
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Realities For Children is honored to have been recognized in NOCO Style’s Readers Choice Best of NOCO Awards, receiving 1st Place for Best Non-Profit Event for the Realities For Children Pinwheel Gala and 2nd Place for our Business Member Networking Group. We are deeply grateful to everyone who voted and for recognizing our mission to support vulnerable children in Northern Colorado.
Save the Date for the 2026 Pinwheel Gala on March 28, 2026—we can’t wait to celebrate with you. And to those interested in making an impact year-round, Business Membership with Realities For Children is a powerful way to help children who have been abused, neglected, or are at risk—while also offering meaningful benefits, including exceptional networking opportunities that bring our local business community together. |
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Today marks the end of the collection for this years Santa’s Worshop providing toys and warm winter clothing for around 2,000 children in need in our community. We are looking forward to the distribution of these gifts and the many smiles and hope each gift provides as we let these children know how many people care for them.
We want to send a special thanks to everyone who donated for this year's distribution and to all our amazing collection locations around Larimer County. Click the button below for a complete list of all these amazing businesses that volunteered to be collection locations. |
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Now through December 15th, you can purchase and donate new books at Barnes & Noble in Fort Collins and Loveland. These books will brighten the holidays for children and teens who have experienced abuse, neglect, or are at-risk in Northern Colorado, and continue bringing joy all year long through Realities For Children monthly Youth Activities. Every new book is a gift of imagination, hope, and comfort for a child who needs it most. Thank you for helping us share the magic of the season! |
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Be a Guardian Angel—Shine a Light of Hope! This holiday season, you can help bring light, hope, and healing to children who have experienced abuse or neglect. As a Guardian Angel during our NightLights outreach, you help us increase community awareness and our reach of support by inviting everyone you know help take a child out of the darkness of abuse by donating a NightLight!
We need you to be a Guardian Angel for children in need! |
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Joseph Chen shares a personal story of what it means to be a Guardian Angel. |
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Make It Rain (Fluffy Edition)! It’s almost time, Eagles fans! This Saturday, December 13th at Blue Arena, get ready for the legendary Teddy Bear Toss!
When the Colorado Eagles score their first goal, the furriest blizzard of the year hits the ice—and your tossed teddies bring real comfort to local kids in need. A portion of the stuffed animals will be donated to Realities For Children, supporting children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or are at-risk during the holidays. To see what it’s all about, check out this video from last year’s Teddy Bear Toss. |
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Don’t wait—grab your tickets, grab your teddy, and be part of the magic!
Let’s pack the stands, celebrate that first goal, and help brighten a child’s Christmas. Be there. Be loud. Be generous. This Saturday—don’t miss the toss! |
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Realities For Children Bikes For Tykes is our longest-running program, providing bikes and new helmets for the children we serve for the past 30 years! This year, 357 children were registered to receive a bicycle and thanks to everyone who donated a bike, our amazing bike shop partners, and Metier Law Firm for donating our helmets, every child was given a bike or trike of their own! Special thanks to all our volunteers that made this past weekend’s distribution fun and special for every child as they were greeted with cookies, stuffed animals, festive inflatables, candy canes from Santa and joyful wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! |
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Thanks to the incredible support of our community, Realities For Children has been able to continue reaching further in services to better the lives of children in need in the month of November. This past month alone we provided emergency services and vital support to 374 children when there was nowhere else to turn.
Beyond emergency services, we also created moments of enjoyment—bringing smiles to 350 children and guardians by gifting them movie passes to enjoy during the Thanksgiving break. In addition to this special youth activity, we were able to provide 474 children with needed items.
This would not be possible without a community united in compassion. We are deeply grateful to our Business Members, Partner Agencies and donors that help us to ensure no child is forgotten. Thank you for making hope and healing a reality for children. |
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A Little Light Holiday Campaign – Elevations Credit Union
From Black Friday (Nov 28) through Christmas Eve (Dec 24), visitors at all 14 Elevations branches (4 in Northern Colorado, 10 in Boulder/Broomfield) can support local nonprofits, including Realities for Children.
Pick an ornament representing the organization you want to support, scan the QR code to donate, and place the ornament on the tree. Donors receive a souvenir ornament to take home as a keepsake of their giving.
Colorado Eagles: Teddy Bear Toss – December 13
Join the fun at Blue Arena in Loveland for the Teddy Bear Toss night! Bring a new stuffed toy and watch the crowd toss them on the ice after the team’s first goal—1/2 of the stuffies will be donated to Realities For Children to be distributed to children all year long!
Sugar Britches XXXmas Show – Dec 20 | 8–10 PM | Magic Rat
Get ready for a cheeky holiday good time with Sugar Britches live at Magic Rat! No cover — just bring your holiday spirit and a new toy, warm coat or gift card to donate to Santa’s Workshop.
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Thanks to over 290 local business leaders, 100% of every donation received provides direct services for children when they need it most! |
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Thank you to these Business Members who have chosen to donate to every monthly Member networking opportunity in 2025. Please email Molly if you are interested in participating. |
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In November, we held our Networking After-Hours Holiday Social at Mash Lab Brewing in Windsor! These networking events are opportunities for Realities For Children Business Members to socialize with one another and make connections that strengthen their businesses. There is no better group of people to get to know and support than other businesses that have made protecting children in Northern Colorado a priority. If you would like to become a Business Member, click the button below. |
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Realities For Children is able to achieve its mission to see that, “No child who has been abused, neglected, or at-risk is forgotten,” because of our partnership with these valuable youth agencies. We are honored to partner with this esteemed group of non-profit and government organizations committed to collaboration, fiscal efficiency, and providing the best possible continuum of services for the needs of Northern Colorado children. We encourage you to learn more about each of these amazing youth organizations by visiting the link below to our Partner Agency Directory. |
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In November, we had the privilege of providing 350 movie tickets to children and their guardians, giving them the opportunity to enjoy a fun and relaxing movie experience together during the Thanksgiving break. It was a wonderful way to help families create joyful memories and share quality time during the holiday season. |
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| Thank you to Sweetheart Racing for putting on the Toy Drop Run again this year. They are generously donating toys to RFC’s Santa’s Workshop. |
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| Ram Waste Systems donated over 84 new bikes to our Bikes For Tykes collection! Thank you! |
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Our Sincere Thanks to Avant Garde Estate Sales. Thank you to Avant Garde Estate Sales for choosing Realities For Children as the beneficiary of their annual art auction. Because of their efforts — and the community members who shopped, bid, and supported — we are able to continue providing safety and resources to local children who need it most. |
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| The Realities For Children staff enjoyed attending the Respite Ball at the Embassy Suites Loveland. |
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Thank you, RC Auto, for the Chili Cook-Off! Your delicious event helped make a powerful difference for local children! |
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As our NightLights outreach continues through December, we invite you to donate a NightLight and help bring a child out of the darkness of abuse. We are also in the final stretch of our holiday Item Distributions—Bikes For Tykes, Santa’s Workshop, and our book donation program with Barnes & Noble. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the businesses, individual donors, and dedicated volunteers whose support makes these efforts possible. As we close out the year, we are truly warmed by this community’s compassion for the children we serve. Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. |
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Ryan Conway
Director of Marketing - Realities For Children |
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