Adopt-A-Family Holiday Program: Frequently Asked Questions
November 4, 2015
The Soldiers’ Angels Adopt-A-Family program is open! We’re excited about the chance to help hundreds of military families this holiday season! Last year we received lots of great questions about registration and participation so we thought we would compile a list of those questions to make it easier.
For Adopters
How do you sign-up to adopt a family?
If you would like to help out by adopting a military or veteran family for the holidays, you must become a Team Angel first by clicking here. By becoming a Team Angel you will be able to not only adopt a military family for the holidays, but also adopt deployed service members, join a letter writing team, sewing, baking team, or choose from one of our 12 volunteer teams working year round to support military families. Once you are registered as a Team Angel, you will have access to the Angel database and you will be able to log in to your account and choose a military family in need.
Why do I have to become a Team Angel to participate?
Signing up for the Adopt-A-Family program means that you will be given information like addresses and names of your adopted family’s children. To ensure the safety and security of our troops and their families, we require that everyone’s information is validated to ensure that no one is using an alias. Aliases may not be used for the safety and security of our service members and their families.
My organization wants to adopt a family. Do we have to become a Team Angel?
Yes, all individuals and organizations must become a Team Angel to participate in the Adopt-A-Family program. Only one person in the organization needs to sign-up to become a Team Angel. To become a Team Angel you are required to contribute a minimum of $1 a month so we can validate your information and ensure we have no one using aliases. If you are a business and would like additional information about adopting multiple families, please contact Jennifer Cernoch at [email protected].
What is required to adopt a family?
Adopting a family through our program means that you will purchase a gift card for a meal or dinner supplies and one gift for each of the children under the age of 18 years. We recommend a price range of $25 to $50 per child. The military family will provide you with a ‘wish’ list for each child.
What if you can’t adopt a military family by yourself?
Consider teaming up with another family or organizing your church, workplace or community group to adopt. Adopting a military family is a great way to give back and say thank you to our service members for their sacrifice.
For Military Family Adoptees
Who can sign up to be an adopted military family?
The Adopt-A-Family program is for deployed soldiers that are serving in a combat zone or for a humanitarian mission or post 9-11 wounded veterans and their families. Deployed service members must be enrolled in the Soldiers’ Angels Deployed Adoptions Program. Submitting an application does not guarantee participation in the program. Each application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and prioritized based on the level of financial need. Eligibility requirements are as follows:
- To be eligible for this program as a family of a deployed service member, the service member must be: Registered currently with Soldiers’ Angels for deployed support AND not be scheduled to return from deployment prior to January 1, 2016 OR scheduled to deploy between October – December 2015 to a combat zone or humanitarian mission and be registered with Soldiers’ Angels deployed support; or
- To be eligible for this program as a family of a Post 9-11 wounded, ill or injured service member, the service member must have proof of disability and proof of Post 9-11 military service.
How do I apply?
If you are already registered with Soldiers’ Angels as part of the Deployed Ddoptions, Operation Top Knot, or Women of Valor programs, log in to your account and check Adopt-A-Family. You will be instructed to complete additional information and upload necessary documents. Do NOT create another account as this will cause duplication and delay your approval process.
If you are NOT already registered with Soldiers’ Angels and meet the eligibility criteria above, head to the link here and fill out the registration form. Please make sure you fill it out completely and upload the requested documents.
PLEASE NOTE: You may experience difficulty uploading documents from your cell phone or tablet. We suggest that you use a computer when uploading your documents.
How will I know if I am approved?
Once you are approved, someone from the Adopt-A-Family team will email you to let you know. Please be patient, we receive many applications and our volunteers work hard to get through them in a timely manner. Due to the level of demand for this program, Soldiers’ Angels will not be able to follow up on incomplete applications and paperwork, so please ensure you complete the application in its entirety and upload all necessary supporting documentation, as required. If you submitted all of your paperwork and have not yet heard back within a few weeks, please email [email protected].
How does the selection process occur?
After the approval process, your information will be available for Team Angels to review and choose. If you are chosen by a Team Angel for adoption, you will be contacted directly by that Team Angel. All communication regarding your family’s needs will be between you and your Team Angel. It is your responsibility to provide your Team Angel with the necessary information to provide one gift per child (reasonably priced) and a holiday meal for your family.
Can you apply if you are a veteran?
Our program supports Post 9-11 wounded, ill and injured who are veterans. For other vets, please check with local VFW posts. They often have or know of other programs within your community.
Can you apply if you are active military but not deployed or will be home before Christmas?
Unfortunately, our program is only open to Post 9-11 wounded, ill and injured who are veterans and deployed service members.
