Operation Christmas Sklar

Despite a difficult and tumultuous year around the world and at home, there’s plenty to feel blessed about. This is the time of year when friends and family come together to celebrate at home and  it’s important to spread that feeling far and wide.

Sklar is and always has been very involved in and around our community—but giving doesn’t end at the border. Our founders, the Howards, have been involved with Operation Christmas Child since 1995, and Sklar’s been involved since we opened our doors. 

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child was started by Franklin Graham in 1993, when an Englishman asked him if he would be willing to use his name and audience to fill shoeboxes with gifts for children in Bosnia, which was in the midst of a bitter war.

Franklin agreed, and by Christmas time that year, over 28,000 shoe boxes packed with gifts were sent to children in the Balkans. The idea was popular and became Operation Christmas Child, which has taken place every year since. To date the organization has helped deliver over 178 million gifts to deserving children in more than 150 countries, spreading holiday cheer!

The idea is simple. Take a shoebox, decorate it with wrapping paper, and fill it with gifts that will brighten a child’s life. If you’re out of ideas,  they even provide some great ideas for girls and boys in three age brackets. The core of the box is the ‘wow item’, a medium-sized gift that will immediately delight. Then add other small toys and creative supplies like pencils, crayons, stickers—even crafted items or non-liquid toiletries.You have a lot of room to be creative and have fun! 

Why We Do It

Every year the Sklar team works to put together about 50-75 boxes. This project creates a rewarding feeling of being able to give back. Many of the deserving children who get these gifts lead difficult lives in troubled parts of the world, and sending a ray of sunshine their way can hopefully help make a difference for them and remind them that there’s people out there who care.

The Spirit of Christmas

Operation Christmas Child is a great way to get together and make the world better! You can track the box all the way to delivery which is exciting and a great way to know where your box is going! 

We are happy to announce that we are open regular hours! We’re following all CDC guidelines to create a safe environment for our Team and our Guests, and remain ready to adjust to changes as the restart phases continue.

Shopping locally owned businesses has become more important than ever. By shopping locally you are supporting your community, through jobs, reinvestment, and sustainability.

Shopping Local

During the pandemic, you may have heard a lot about making sure we support our local businesses. This is very important, not just for keeping the community healthier during but also after this pandemic. When your spending is through large multinational companies, very little of that money will make it back to our communities. This can have a lasting effect in terms of employment opportunity, livability, and city funding.

As a smaller locally owned company, we can more easily ensure a sustainable supply chain, and we can also keep our carbon footprint small and pursue green environmentally friendly practices. Local businesses are usually good neighbours who give to local causes and charities, and get involved in local issues. In short, local businesses can be much more accountable to their communities than multinationals.

We care about our Community now, and in the future. We want to support it and make it strong—we live here and use all the wonderful resources that are available to us.

Good Neighbors

Sklar wants to be that good neighbor and we are donating 2% of all qualifying purchases from our Spring Sale to the YMCA of South Palm Beach County to fund their youth relief daycare for essential workers.

We are also proud to consistently support the community on many fronts; by donating to and working with worthy causes. These causes include Habitat for Humanity, the Junior League of Boca Raton, The Rotary Club, Our Local Food Banks, the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, and our Military. We also plant a tree for each piece of wood furniture sold, to the National Forest Initiative,we have planted over 5,000 trees!

You can learn more about why and how we support various causes here, and about our commitment to sustainability here.

Here for Boca Raton

We consider it our responsibility to be accountable to the community that makes it possible for us to be a local business owner. We accept this responsibility and are proud to live, work and support our amazing Community!

2017 is Sklar’s 15th anniversary, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community that has given us so much. For every month of the year, our team has chosen one local charity that we’ll be supporting through donations, fundraising, and boosting awareness of their great work. These organizations create opportunities, lend a hand to people in hardship, and help make Boca Raton an even better place to live.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital
For the month of December, Sklar is proudly supporting the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Born out of a small community tragedy in 1967, Boca Raton Regional Hospital has since grown into a not-for-profit, advanced tertiary medical center with 400 beds, over 2,800 employees and more than 800 primary and specialty physicians on staff. The hospital delivers the highest quality patient care with unrelenting attention to clinical excellence, patient satisfaction and patient safety. Their team of professionals demonstrates unparalleled compassion and commitment to those they serve.

This hospital grew out of funds raised by the community at bake sales, fiestas and black-tie Balls. Today, it is a nationally ranked medical center and a recognized leader in Cardiovascular Care, Oncology, Women’s Health, Orthopedics, Emergency Medicine and the Neurosciences, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities.

Sklar is honored to support their ongoing vision to be a preeminent regional leader in healthcare delivery and the hospital of choice for patients, physicians, employees and volunteers. To learn more about their services visit https://www.brrh.com/

2017 is Sklar’s 15th anniversary, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community that has given us so much. For every month of the year, our team has chosen one local charity that we’ll be supporting through donations, fundraising, and boosting awareness of their great work. These organizations create opportunities, lend a hand to people in hardship, and help make Boca Raton an even better place to live.

Boca Raton Children’s Museum
For the month of November, Sklar is proudly supporting the Boca Raton Children’s Museum. The Boca Raton Children’s Museum was founded in 1979 by the Junior League of Boca Raton and was the first children’s museum in the State of Florida. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the Museum serves the Palm Beach County community as well as the communities of Broward and Martin Counties.

The Museum offers educational programs to children and adults through permanent and traveling exhibits on the campus or through the educational outreach program, The Traveling Museum. Since inception over 30 years ago, the Museum has helped to educate well over a million children; broadening their awareness of the world and teaching them how to problem solve through creative and scientific exploration. There are opportunities to sponsor, fundraise, volunteer or make a donation to their GoFundMe Campaign so they can continue to provide unique and state of the art enrichment programming.

Sklar is happy to assist a community-learning environment that supports and nurtures local families.

2017 is Sklar’s 15th anniversary, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community that has given us so much. For every month of the year, our team has chosen one local charity that we’ll be supporting through donations, fundraising, and boosting awareness of their great work. These organizations create opportunities, lend a hand to people in hardship, and help make Boca Raton an even better place to live.

Navy Seal Museum

For the month of October, Sklar is proudly supporting the Navy SEAL Museum. Navy SEAL Museum was founded in 1985 and was officially designated a National Museum in 2007. The Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the Navy SEALs, from the Frogmen era of the 1940s to the SEAL teams of the present day. Its educational mission encompasses commemorating the fallen, and the important contributions SEALs have made to the life of the United States nation. Permanent installations include vehicles, weaponry and Raven, the in-house multi purpose canine.

The United States of America would not be the nation it is today without the commitment and sacrifice of our U.S. Navy SEALs. Sklar is honored to preserve the legacy and history of these “Teams” and support the only national museum in the state of Florida which receives no federal funding. Find out more and plan your visit at www.navysealmuseum.org

2017 is Sklar’s 15th anniversary, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community that has given us so much. For every month of the year, our team has chosen one local charity that we’ll be supporting through donations, fundraising, and boosting awareness of their great work. These organizations create opportunities, lend a hand to people in hardship, and help make Boca Raton an even better place to live.

The Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival (BRJFF)

For the month of September, Sklar is proudly supporting the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center Film Festival. Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center is a non-profit community agency of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. Established in 1983, the center provides a broad range of enriching programs and services for individuals of all ages and abilities to meet the diverse needs of its members, the Jewish community and the community at large.

JCC Jewish Film Festival celebrated its inaugural year by presenting a broad array of 27 exceptional films from the U.S., Israel and around the world all bringing the best of Jewish films to our community. Their mission is to annually provide the newest, most stimulating and thought provoking films that encourage audiences to expand their awareness and understanding of the Jewish world.

Sklar is thrilled to support JCC and engage with their dialogue and programs which explore many diverse perspectives. Learn more at http://levisjcc.org/

2017 is Sklar’s 15th anniversary, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community that has given us so much. For every month of the year, our team has chosen one local charity that we’ll be supporting through donations, fundraising, and boosting awareness of their great work. These organizations create opportunities, lend a hand to people in hardship, and help make Boca Raton an even better place to live.

Florida Atlantic University

For the month of August, Sklar is proudly supporting Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine by making a donation to their White Coats-4-Care program.

FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of 147 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America and welcomed its inaugural class in 2011. With more than 70 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 64 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum.

In June 2014, FAU’s College of Medicine launched its first University-sponsored residency in internal medicine. To date, the college has residency programs in internal medicine, general surgery, emergency medicine and psychiatry.

In order to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, Sklar takes a special interest in FAU. We’re proud to offer support to Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and its hardworking faculty and student body. Learn more at www.fau.edu.

2017 is Sklar’s 15th anniversary, and we’re celebrating by giving back to the community that has given us so much. For every month of the year, our team has chosen one local charity that we’ll be supporting through donations, fundraising, and boosting awareness of their great work. These organizations create opportunities, lend a hand to people in hardship, and help make Boca Raton an even better place to live.

Boca Museum Of Art

For the month of July, Sklar is proudly supporting the Boca Museum of Art ‘send a kid to camp’ program for the summer. The museum traces its history back to 1950, with the establishment of the Art Guild of Boca Raton. This small organization steadily expanded, and its founders progressed from hosting temporary exhibitions to acquiring a permanent collection and dedicated building.

Today, the Official Fine Arts Museum for the City of Boca Raton attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually, making it one of the city’s leading cultural institutions. It houses permanent and travelling exhibitions, provides art education, and runs lectures, film showings, tours and family events throughout the year. Although it welcomes international artworks, Boca Museum of Art emphasizes artists from South Florida, helping make it a truly local institution.

Sklar is thrilled to send 5 children to camp this summer through the ‘send a kid to camp program’. Memberships and donations help Boca Museum of Art to keep contributing to the cultural and community life of South Florida; learn more or consider sending a kid to camp at www.bocamuseum.org.