An annual tradition at Christmas time for the employees at 1st National Bank of South Florida is to donate gifts to the children at PATCHES and Le Jardin Community Center. The tradition continued as employees purchased and donated a total of 104 gifts for the kids this past holiday season. Some of the employees participating in the tradition were able to witness the joy and excitement of the children as they received their gifts from Santa.

PATCHES is a not-for-profit organization that strives to make a difference in the lives of medically complex children and their families. Part of PATCHES' mission statement is to be a place where children with extreme medical needs and their families are given culturally sensitive, compassionate care and the opportunity to discover their full potential. The dedicated staff and support of the community make this mission possible. Le Jardin Community Center, Inc. is a private-not-for-profit agency founded in 1986. Le Jardin has 24 years of experience of providing childcare services to the South Dade Community. In addition to providing daily services to children, ages from birth to 5 years of age, comprehensive services are provided to the parents, families, grandparents and foster parents of the children.

For more information about PATCHES and their work with the special children in our community, please go to http://www.patchesppec.org. For more information about La Jardin Community Center, please go to http://www.lejardinccinc.org.