Teaching our children to care for their community.
Holiday Dreams began as a way for us to give back to our local community. It started in partnership with JFS Metrowest, serving children at the Woodrow Wilson school.
Our goals really started to expand after our children asked us a simple question: “We’re helping students at school, but what about their brothers and sisters?” We knew that if our kids had dreams to take Holiday Dreams further, we needed to make it happen.
Our foundation quickly grew from a small holiday-focused program to year-long programming that brings comfort, security, and magic into homes all across Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut.
What began with our own family unit has become a tradition of families pitching in together, with kids of all ages giving back and forming new perspectives. When we teach our kids to give back to their communities with teamwork, care, and generosity, we are creating leaders for tomorrow who will take this work even further. While all kids love having presents at the holidays, we have seen our children and the families we work with grow in compassion and empathy with each passing year.
We look forward to seeing where Holiday Dreams goes next, and we hope you will be with us every step of the way!
—
Leslie and Jonathan Gerber
Founders, Holiday Dreams Foundation
October 25, 2026
Dear Friends,
And just like that, we are back at it! Happy 21st birthday to Holiday Dreams and a huge thank you for being such a critical part of getting us here! You have brought joy and supported over 22,000 children over the past two decades. This is an incredible milestone and speaks to the value of care and community spirit. Your impact can not be understated, and we thank you and appreciate everything you have done to help get us here.
Since the end of last year we have been in contact with schools and agencies all over Massachusetts and beyond, and as you can imagine, the need for help this year is still growing. We know that for a large number of families in need, our Holiday Dreams program provides the only chance for a little joy during the holiday season. As many of you know, through Holiday Dreams, our family sponsors an annual gift drive to support countless school districts throughout Massachusetts, youth and family services throughout the state, JFS MetroWest, and the Greater Hartford, Connecticut, area. We supported more than 1400 children last year alone.
Getting involved is easy. To start, you just need to let us know how many children you’d like to sponsor. (We have families with between 1-10 children in them.) Simply let us know how many children you’d like to sponsor by filling out this form. We will then send you the children’s wish lists. After that, you can either shop for the kids yourself or donate money, and our shoppers will do it for you. We very much appreciate people shopping for the kids they sponsor and know it will be fulfilling for you to have the experience of shopping, but we are also incredibly grateful for monetary donations to help us take care of every child.
Shopping for a child or children in need truly is one of the most rewarding experiences ever! And once you've bought the gifts, you don't even have to wrap them. The parents of the kids we’re sponsoring wrap the presents, as this gives them a chance to see what their children are receiving.
Please note: We need to collect everything by December 13th.
Holiday Dreams is a registered 501c3 charitable organization, so everything you donate is completely tax deductible. It's a real win/win: You get the incredible feeling of making a child's holiday wishes come true and the benefit of a tax deduction!
We know that participating in Holiday Dreams will be an incredibly joyful and fulfilling experience. You are making a real impact! We are so glad to have you with us, and we hope our program fills your home with smiles, peace, and happiness this holiday season. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us at at (781) 201-9004 with any questions.
Happy Holidays, Good Health, and Peace,
Leslie, Jonathan and Family
2023 Humanitarian Award – Jonathan and Leslie Gerber
Recognizing Holliston residents that have demonstrated Compassion, Caring, and Consideration toward others.
The Gerbers have been doing amazing, selfless and impactful work for over 10 years.
“You have no idea how much your help has meant. This has been a challenging time, and I appreciate you guys so much. Thank you so much for all you have done for us!”
— Ramos & Loaiza Family