"Everything is confidential," she said. "We don't want the children to think they are getting a handout. "What they see is (the gift) came from Santa himself." The gift distribution process is done internally in the program. Marsh said the idea is for businesses to adopt a group of names and distribute the list to employees. Each participant would then buy a gift listed on the card, wrap it and bring it to the business by the Dec. 5 deadline so OLHSA can pick them up.

The children, ranging in age from 3 to 15, are from the OLHSA Head Start Program and the Pontiac Academy for Excellence. Gifts presented will be anonymous and are tax-exempt because the organization is an Internal Revenue Service qualified 501(c)3. Gift ideas provided by the children range in price from $30 to $40. Marsh said the program is unique because it makes an attempt to understand what gift each child really wants, instead of just donating money.

She said single-child adoptions and money donations are also available. The organization then compiles the money to buy any leftover gift requests all at once. Some stores, such as the Kmart on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills, offer the organization a percentage discount when it goes to purchase gifts with money received.

"There is certainly a way single people or families can do it, too," Marsh said. "This (program) is unique because it is giving specific gifts. Families that want to do this can just buy the gifts and drop them off at our office."
John Cameron, member and past president for the Bloomfield Hills Optimistic Club, said his organization's main goal is to be the mediator and oversee the program's happenings. "We are given the names and make phone calls to the children to see what they want for Christmas," he said. "We also in turn hand out names and buy and wrap gifts with the money."