DIVINE CHARITIES INC

While Cori McNaughton's review is much appreciated it contained some inaccurate information. Lynne Hawthorne is and has always been The
Executive Director of Divine Charities dba Santa's Angels and her husband Wally Hawthorne is on the Board of Directors, Director of Operations, both have been and are still very much a part of Santa's Angels, Cori McNauaghton is not, nor was she a founding member.

Nancy Tangredi, Director of Grants and Funding, Founding Member

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This began as a true grass roots organization. Known locally as Santa's Angels, the origin of this organization began over twenty-five years ago, when my friend Lynne Hawthorne and her husband Wally first adopted a needy family during the holidays in order to give the children a real Christmas. They have continued adopting families, and inspiring others to do so, to this day. For many years, a group of us ran a local charity haunted house during Halloween, in order to fund the adoption of as many local children as possible each Christmas, using entirely volunteer labor. Unfortunately, although the haunted house had become quite popular, and raised more money for the children each and every year, it was shut down by a Redington Beach council member in 2006 and has not been restarted. One hopes that it will be brought back in the near future, as it was a lot of fun (and work!) for the volunteers, and made everyone involved feel great to be a part of such a wonderful and worthy cause. The Redington Beach Property Owner's Association, in addition to hosting the haunted house, also sponsored scholarships to local needy children. In addition to buying toys and clothing for the children adopted, a full Christmas dinner was provided for each family, and many if not most of the volunteers augmented the funds raised with money from their own pockets. In 2003 it was decided to form a nonprofit charity under the auspices of Divine Charities, Inc. In 2005, when it was decided to form an executive board, I was asked by Lynne to serve as a member. The charity has continued as it started, by forming partnerships with local individuals, businesses and corporations, in order to provide toys, food and clothing for the children, resulting in more and more children being adopted every year. For the past two years, Santa's Angels has partnered with the Salvation Army, who now handle the delivery of the presents to the children, as well as wrapping all of the presents.

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