Thank you, readers! In four weeks, you have generously agreed to donate gifts to more than 75 children living in DHS foster care. The need is great, and we appreciate those of you who have called or come by with gifts. There are still plenty more children on our list, though, and we hope, as the holiday spirit continues to grow and our campaign comes to an end, that soon all of the children on the opposite page will have Christmas gifts. This is the final week and we encourage readers to make these final donations so no child is left behind.

More than 1,400 children are living in the Tulsa County Shelter, foster homes, group homes, in-patient settings, contracted settings and reunified homes. UTW hopes to give, with generous support from our readers, at least 100 of those gifts. Last year, we were able to provide, through generous donations made by our readers, gifts for 150 children and an additional $1,500 in gift certificates for teenagers and other children not on the list.

The tree on the opposite page lists the Christmas wishes of children in permanent DHS foster care, ages infant to 18.

Confidentiality requires the children's names not be printed; numbers, instead, take their place. Choose one or two gifts to buy, then bring them to Urban Tulsa Weekly's offices, at 710 S. Kenosha.

Do not wrap the gift, but affix somewhere the number of the child for which the gift is intended. The foster parents and group home workers enjoying wrapping these gifts and sharing a part of their children's Christmas joy.

Readers are also invited to buy non-specific but oft-requested gifts and bring them to our offices unwrapped. Gifts that are always needed include car seats, dolls, infant toys, pre-school educational toys, bicycles and tricycles, games, remote control vehicles, sleeping and overnight bags, bath/body items, cassette/CD players and radios, electronic hand-held games, sports equipment and jewelry.

Sometimes overlooked in campaigns like these are the needs of older children in DHS custody, who tend to want and need clothes, music and make-up. For these children and others, DHS strongly recommends buying gift certificates to Wal-Mart, Target, Kohl's, Ross, Gordman's, Old Navy, or Woodland Hills or Promenade Mall.

From the campaign's get-go last year, we were overwhelmed with the generosity of our readers, leading us to add new children to our tree almost every week. By the end, a generous, anonymous donor bought gift certificates for the remaining children on the list.

The deadline to make your donation is Monday, Dec. 10. Please bring all donations to our offices at 710 S. Kenosha in downtown Tulsa between 7th and 8th Streets. For information or inquiries, call 592-5550 and ask for Kendra or Nancy or e-mail urbantulsa@urbantulsa.com, with "Christmas for Kids" as the subject.

In addition to but separate from the Christmas for Kids Campaign, UTW will spend the month promoting adoption awareness for children in permanent foster care, with at least two or three children available for adoption showcased each week. The children in the photos are separate from those featured on the Christmas tree. We hope these photos and biographies will inspire some of our readers to consider adoption as a way of completing their families.

If you are interested in finding out more about adoption or adopting one of the children seen in Urban Tulsa Weekly, contact Jane Eneff at DHS, 581-2552.

And, if as you're reading you have questions about adoption, please e-mail Managing Editor Holly Wall at hwall@urbantulsa.com. We can help you reach the contacts at DHS you need to learn more about adoption and to get your questions answered.

As we enter our final week for the campaign, we urge you to open your hearts this holiday season and assist our children in having a very merry Christmas.