People sometimes ask us if we really get the entire Elves in Disguise home makeover done in one day. Our photo gallery from two days ago showed that we actually put in many hours of work before Elves Day. There was still a long way to go when the Elves arrived yesterday morning, but by 4:00 p.m., this year’s makeover was complete. See our “Elves In Disguise 2013 Gallery” for a few photos that our volunteer Elves have shared with us from yesterday.  All these photos were taken yesterday at Elves In Disguise, December 19, 2013. Elves In Disguise 2013 Gallery

Our next annual Elves In Disguise apartment makeover will be on Thursday, December 19, 2013. Our annual Elves In Disguise apartment makeover is our Main Event of charity projects every year. It involves a complete apartment makeover for a family currently living in subsidized housing in South Dallas.  This year’s applicants are all very deserving, and we are awarding a complete makeover and scholarship to one of these families on Thursday, December 19, 2013. Watch our web site for Elves Updates as Elves Day 2013 approaches and check out our Elves in Disguise page for more information and for links to videos and photos from previous Elves In Disguise makeovers. What is Elves In Disguise? Started in 1999 by a group of high school boys, the Elves in Disguise home makeover is in its 14th year. Since its early years, the Elves have completed roughly twenty makeovers, have provided about $50,000 in scholarships, and have helped transform too many lives to count. The makeover is not just a home makeover. It’s a lifestyle makeover – but it starts with the home. By providing a safe, clean, and respectable home, and by ensuring that the family has a Christmas they will never forget, the transformation begins. Recipients are encouraged to help themselves, to become independent, to set attainable goals and reach them, and to adopt a new, empowered mindset. Most of our families move out of Section 8 housing within a few years.  For many, they are the first in their families to do so. And we currently have three students in college who would never have had the opportunity if not for the growing scholarship pool established to help them. The makeover is the work of about 50 onsite volunteers and hundreds of others who help the Elves make their magic happen from the sidelines. Due to our donors and volunteers and our extensive network of resources, our teams complete a makeover valued at about $30,000 for a mere fraction of that. But the real prize is access to the New Hope Foundation Scholarship Fund. Each family member becomes eligible to apply for those funds to assist them in reaching their goals, whether it is to complete a GED program, attend college or trade school, or to clear obstacles that stand between them and a new and improved future. Who are the Elves and what do they do? The Elves are made …Read More