Since its year of inception in 2005, the goal of the First Choice project (and now separate organization) is to collect enough funds to provide the residents of local adult foster care homes or other supervised residential settings with serious disabilities, with an annual gift card during the holiday season. These individuals are then free to spend this gift card on whatever they want. Their “First Choice” may be to use the gift card to meet a current need or to help them obtain a personal want. The bottom line is that it’s their own choice!
The success of the First Choice program has been directly related to the generous contributions made by many different individuals in the Saginaw community. Residential home providers and individual card recipients have directly commented about the positive impact of this small token on their spirit and lives. Please be sure to view the First Choice Photo Summaries that are also posted on this website to get an idea of how powerful your donation was or could be.
Since 2005, the First Choice of Saginaw project has provided annual holiday gift cards to several hundred adults with serious disabilities in the Saginaw community, in the amount of $25 - $50 per card per person.
The only negative comment heard and understood about the project is that it has not yet been able to provide a card to all eligible persons living in residential settings in the Saginaw Community. The First Choice project has given out gift cards to recipients based on the funds raised each of its first years of operation; unfortunately this limited distribution of the cards based on the amount of funds raised results in some homes having residents that received cards and some that did not. The hope for the future is to raise enough funds to support all such persons in the Saginaw community, it is estimately up to 800 adults who reside in licensed residential homes settings, with a minimum stipend or gift card.