GREAT FALLS — When opportunity meets a willing heart, amazing ideas can spread quickly. Lauryn Jackson, a single mother of three from Great Falls, was struck by the realization that many teenagers in her own neighborhood had quietly outgrown Christmas's magic.
"Listening to the teens in my home, Christmas is almost forgotten. The magic has almost been forgotten. They're just little adults and not thought of as kids anymore,” Jackson said.
Shannah, Lauryn's daughter, and her friends frequent the Jackson home, as do many other teenagers. However, at a recent hangout, Lauryn overheard a conversation that halted her. Several teenagers admitted they were not looking forward to the holidays at all.
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"A lot of them work hard, and a lot of them struggle, like, mentally, because their parents see them as young adults sometimes," Shannah told me. "Some of my friends' parents make them pay rent to be in their home."
Lauryn had recently been laid off from her clinic job during the government shutdown. With unexpected free time and a growing awareness of how many older children felt forgotten, she resolved to intervene.
“I decided to post something on Facebook to see if people wanted to help. And it blew up overnight. I woke up, and I'm like, oh my goodness, the need is really out there,” she said. “So, I looked at programs, and most of them stop at 12 or 13, but we're forgetting the whole age range up to 18.”
Her solution was simple but effective: a Facebook group where families with teenagers can remain anonymous via coded posts. Community members can then "adopt" a teen by contributing money, allowing Lauryn to purchase the items on their wish lists.
However, she soon discovered that the lists didn't include game consoles or trendy outfits.
“I didn't realize the need wasn't so focused towards fun things as it was necessities,” she said. “I'm getting people saying I need heating, blankets, or snacks or shoes that don't have holes.”
The response has been so overwhelming that Lauryn is now managing a long queue of teenagers and families. She hopes that more individuals, particularly local businesses, churches, and community organizations, will sponsor a child or make a donation.
Shannah says her mother's generosity extends beyond the holidays: "She helps me with everything. But that's why I think a lot of my friends would come up to my house and call my mom their second mother because she helps them out a lot, as if she gave birth to them too."
And for Lauryn, the mission is simple: bring the joy of the season back to kids who still need it—maybe now more than ever. “Why not just have Christmas again?” she said. “Like, like from the 90s, you know, gaudy, fun, everyone together in a living room, all that kind of stuff.”
Click here to visit the "Teens Need Christmas, Too" page on Facebook.