Eileen Fenrich Sponsor a Family Program

The Department of Human Resources administers the annual Eileen Fenrich Sponsor a Family Program. The program offers members of the university community an opportunity to offer assistance to Georgetown families in need during the holiday season. Sponsor a Family is one of the many programs by which the Georgetown Community evinces the university’s Jesuit values.

The Eileen Fenrich Sponsor a Family Program is entirely confidential.
No identifying information will be shared with sponsors or sponsored families.

Gallery

How it Works

  1. Members of the GU community can recommend a Georgetown colleague to be a program recipient or offer to sponsor a Georgetown family by completing this online form no later than Friday, November 18. 
  2. HR will assign families to sponsoring individuals and departments. Sponsors will be provided with a list of the families’ needs as well as age, gender, and relevant clothing size information for each sponsored family member.
  3. Sponsors can elect to do one or more of the following: collect wrapped gifts or gift cards for the family members, purchase a gift online and have it delivered to the collection site, or email a gift card to the HR Department.
  4. Sponsors will deliver gifts for their sponsored family through a contactless drop-off at the Department of Human Resources Office. (information below). You will select your drop-off time via email once your sponsorship is confirmed.
  5. HR staff will convey the gifts to the sponsored families.

Important Dates: 2022

  • November 18: Deadline to nominate families
  • November 23: Deadline to apply as sponsor participant
  • December 14:Deadline for sponsors to deliver gifts to:
    • Department of Human Resources
      2115 Wisconsin Avenue
      Washington, D.C. 20007

      (Drop off gifts to our monitored donation bin in front of the building.)
  • December 16-21: Gifts delivered

Eileen Fenrich Sponsor a Family Program: Archives

We’ve curated an archive to display special facts and data on this extraordinary program founded by Dr. Eileen Fenrich.

2022

Total Families Supported: 369

Total Sponsors: 218 individual sponsors and 67 departments 

Special Note: 43 individual sponsors and 22 departments supported multiple families

Delivery Days for gifts this year: All gifts were delivered within 8 days (every gift sent by December 22nd).

Total “elves” this year: 19

*Every family received food with their sponsorship*

2021

Total Families Supported: 311 families requested and gratefully received support thanks to hundreds of faculty and staff donating and volunteering.

2020

Total Families Supported: 123

“There is no better exercise for your heart than reaching down and helping to lift someone up.”

 – Bernard Meltzer