The Morgan Run Club and Resort was a place of holiday hustle and bustle at the Adopt a Family’s Holiday Boutique on Nov. 28. This annual event for the Rancho Santa Fe nonprofit is popular for seasonal shopping.
More than 20 handpicked vendors took part in the day.
As guests purchased must-have items for the holidays, they were thrilled their dollars were going to the nonprofit.
“The mission of Adopt a Family Foundation is to provide a means for giving financial and emotional support to Israeli citizens and their families who have been victims of terror,” CEO and co-founder Carine Chitayat said. “Every year, Adopt a Family Foundation embraces a new Israeli family and puts them in touch with a contact in San Diego.”
Chitayat described the emotional relationships which are built as long-lasting. She added that financial assistance is given once the foundation understands the specific needs of a family.
“The foundation is also directed by social workers in Israel who help define those needs,” Chitayat said. “Adopt a Family Foundation provides lots of extra therapies to its adopted families, which are usually very much needed. We also concentrate our efforts in helping the children from the South of Israel, who are affected by PTSD, by supplying therapeutic activities, and summer camps.”
Holiday Boutique vendors, some of them returning from previous years, committed to giving back 20 percent of their sale proceeds.
Chitayat said donations collected from the event will help financially assist the nonprofit in purchasing Hanukkah presents for its, “The Mitzvah Project.” Gifts are given to its 18 adopted families and their children in Israel.
Author Mary Ellen Cortellini was also on hand signing her book “The Forgotten Soldiers of Fort Rosecrans.”
Chitayat said the Adopt a Family Foundation Holiday Boutique is unique because it’s free of charge and it’s the time of year when the community can unite.
“Every donation and purchase made on this day helps Adopt a Family Foundation pursue its mission,” she said.
While holiday shopping was in full swing, visitors enjoyed musical entertainment by Yael & Vlady.
“I really want to thank all the guests that participated letting them know that their generosity on that day will make a true difference in the lives of others who need our support,” she said.
