ABOUT US – the Elf Louise Christmas Project is dedicated to providing joy to Bexar County’s disadvantaged children. Get into the spirit of Christmas and become an Elf Louise volunteer! The current-day Elf Louise Christmas Project has evolved into a community-based, 100% volunteer organization. The Project is run by a board of directors and core volunteers. These individuals work year-round to ensure the project will continue indefinitely. We have over 4,500 volunteers who wrap gifts and deliver toys each Christmas season.
The project began in 1969 when our founder, Louise Locker, was a student at Trinity University in San Antonio. She found that Christmas did not exist for many San Antonio families. Louise looked for a way to provide a few Christmas presents to some of these children. That first year, with the help of a friend, she collected gifts for children in 13 families. In 2022, the organization helped 5,345 families with 18,277 children!
The Elf Louise Christmas Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization staffed by all volunteers and funded by donations. 98 cents of every dollar donated goes directly toward purchasing and delivering toys.
The Elf Louise Christmas Project relies on donations from grassroots San Antonio, as well as corporations who want to share their blessings at Christmas. People also donate toys, but since we need over 30,000 gifts, many must be purchased. Our current annual budget is over $316,000.
ELF LOUISE, INC., MISSION STATEMENT
The Elf Louise Christmas Project, Inc., is dedicated to bringing the joy of Christmas to the children of the San Antonio and Bexar County community who would otherwise be at risk of not celebrating the Christmas season.