How One Idaho-Based Program Honors Achievement at Christmas Time and Beyond

For Maggie Lyons of Charity Reimagined, Christmas represents an opportunity not just to give gifts, but to remind people of their giftings. In fact, she’s helped shape a program centered around the idea that everyone has capacity to contribute—and honoring capacity is a beautiful thing.

Located in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, Charity Reimagined partners with the Coeur d’ Alene Press (the community newspaper), businesses, nonprofits, social service agencies, and other groups actively helping those who are “ALICE”—Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, and Employed. The goal is to honor ALICE individuals who, through determination and perseverance, have made a dent in their poverty—but the program didn’t always look that way.

Christmas Year Round, formerly known as Christmas For All, is in its 36th year and is sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Press. Until two years ago, it looked like most Christmas charitable programs: well-intended yet shortsighted charity to anyone who asked, all in the name of Christmas spirit. Anyone who qualified for the program received a gift card to a local grocery store or department store, varying from $35 per person up to a maximum of $150, depending on the number of residents in the household.

“People would stand in line for a couple hours just to receive a small gift card,” says Maggie, reflecting on how the program ballooned to an unmanageable size. “Eventually, it became clear that it just wasn’t worth it to some folks. Every year, designated gift cards went unclaimed.”

But the problem was much deeper than unclaimed gift cards. “It seemed that the resources meant to help only reinforced helplessness and dependency,” Maggie notes, reflecting on how the outcomes did not come close to justifying the amount of time, energy, and financial resources that went into maintaining this program every year. So, Charity Reimagined and the Coeur d’Alene Press started to ask that dangerous question: How could this well-intentioned outpouring of generosity really start to make an impact in people’s lives? “It just became clear that we needed to start building capacity, not dependency,” Maggie shares, “but we knew we weren’t doing that the way the program was structured.”

So, thanks to a courageous first step by the Coeur d’Alene Press, the team behind the Christmas program decided it was time for a major facelift.

Christmas Year Round (CYR) underwent key shifts in its program design as a result of this epiphany. Perhaps the most significant change was the focus: Rather than giving gifts to folks who could prove themselves the most destitute, they decided to honor those who had taken courageous, hard-fought steps to rise up out of their poverty. And, honoring big steps made in the right direction calls for a big award—no more $35 gift cards as a prize for waiting in line for hours. 

Necessarily, that meant that they couldn’t serve hordes of people anymore. Instead, they wanted to make a big impact for the smaller group of people taking real steps to improve their own situation. But how could they narrow it down to those folks?

That’s where the Referring Partners come in.

“We wanted to partner with relationship-building organizations making an impact,” Maggie shares. Those organizations–22, currently–are known as Referring Partners (RP), and are vetted for highly relational programs aimed at building self-sufficiency. The RP’s refer prime candidates for CYR: those who are working hard on overcoming major hurdles in their path out of poverty.

“They really know their people, so they’re the best ones to refer clients who fit the bill,” Maggie explains. Clients and RP’s fill out the application for CYR together. In addition to typical administrative information, the client is asked to share their story, their biggest challenge, their biggest achievement in the past year, and an item or items that would help improve their situation.  The RP is asked to elaborate on why they believe this person is an ideal candidate for an award.

It’s a fairly selective process by the Referring Partners, with further vetting by Charity Reimagined. However, that frees CYR to gift in a major way: Typical awards are big-ticket items or services, like car repairs, new tires, dentures, large household appliances, or eye exams and glasses. 

The benefit of gifts like these is two-fold. For one, these are gifts that offer a direct boost to the person’s path out of poverty. 

“So often, we see situations where someone has demonstrated a real willingness to work but literally can’t see the text on job applications. So, for that person, an eye exam and a brand-new set of glasses can be a game-changer,” Maggie shares. 

She added another story: One woman was disabled but had made major headway in providing for herself and her family through a paper route that she diligently worked on, which eventually resulted in bald tires on her vehicle. CYR took that as a prime opportunity to honor her grit and dedication through an award of brand-new tires.

But from an administrative perspective as well, gifts like these offer some real advantages, including eager response from business partners and financial donations that stretch farther. 

“The Charity Reimagined team went to the business community and said, ‘Look, we know you are constantly being hit up for donations. We are not asking for money. We are asking if you will provide your services, your talents, and your knowledge at cost,’” Maggie says. Paying for the services at-cost is a win-win: CYR can make each donated dollar stretch further, and business partners are eager to contribute to the cause knowing they’re not losing money on each service.

Maggie and others on the CYR team are careful to honor reciprocity at every opportunity. “We expect clients to pitch in a little bit toward their award to remind them of their capacity and resourcefulness,” Maggie shares. One way in which they do this is by asking the client to secure a quote from an approved vendor. From there, a sliding scale based on income determines the client’s co-pay, typically between 10% to 30%. For an auto repair costing $800 with a client co-pay of 10%, the applicant would pay the mechanic $80 in advance of the repair, and CYR would write a check for $720 after the completion of the repair. The client is also offered a 20% reduction in their final co-pay if they are actively participating in case management through the referring partner and meeting their goals.

Quality is of the utmost importance. “The award needs to be solid,” Maggie shares, “no cheap fixes.” That commitment to quality is evident, right down to the certificate that clients receive honoring their achievement. In fact, the certificate is so high-quality that it becomes a treasured item to many clients, who often frame them and hang them up in their homes.

What’s the impact of a Christmas program that intentionally elevates those combatting their own poverty? Well, the program is a hit in the community, so much so that it’s no longer limited to just the Christmas season–hence the name “Christmas Year-Round.” But more importantly, with a little encouragement from their supportive community, clients are finding the strength within to continue their journey to a flourishing life. The woman who worked the paper route and had her tires replaced through CYR demonstrates this: Shortly after, she returned to her RP and proudly informed them that she didn’t need them anymore. She was self-sufficient, no longer depending on the charity in her community.

“We’ve got a front row seat to the best work in town,” Maggie shares. “To be part of that work, to affirm people’s capacity, has been an amazing journey.”

Interested in operational documents for the Christmas Year Round program, including applications and detailed processes? Contact Maggie Lyons of Charity Reimagined through the True Charity Network Member’s Directory.