2025 Christmas Celebrations
Christmas Teams Opportunities
Since our founding, we’ve been bringing Christmas joy to vulnerable people in places like Ecuador, South Africa, and the Philippines. Hundreds of you have joined our Christmas teams in these locations. At each gathering, we share food, gifts and the Christmas story. For our staff and partners, Christmas outreaches are a highlight after a year of pouring into local communities.
For 2025, we need volunteer teams to serve in Ecuador, South Africa and the Philippines. We’ll post a link to an online applications shortly. Once you complete your application, a Christmas Outreach coordinator will contact you with more details.
QUITO CHRISTMAS: You’ll fly into Quito. Details coming soon.
SOUTH AFRICA CHRISTMAS: For this trip you’ll fly into Cape Town. Details coming soon.
PHILIPPINES CHRISTMAS: You’ll fly into Manila. Details coming soon.
This is our 28th year of Christmas outreaches. Last year, we engaged more than 4,500 people through Christmas events in three countries. More importantly, we got to share love, compassion and the joy of Christmas with vulnerable people.
Do not send funds for your deposit or make airlines reservations until we confirm trip details.
We are excited for you to participate! Email questions to Christmas@extremeresponse.org and we’ll get you started.
CAN’T GO, BUT WANT TO HELP?
Our goal is to bring hope, joy and life change to people living in extreme conditions by sharing the story of our Savior’s birth. To do this, we host Christmas celebrations in the vulnerable communities where we already have relationships through our programs and partners.
How you can help… to do this, we need help financing our Christmas Outreaches. Would you donate to these parties so more children can receive a meal and a present, participate in some fun and hear the Christmas story? This year, $20 will cover the costs for a child and possibly an entire family. Any amount helps.
Each year, we celebrate Christmas with thousands of amazing people. These celebrations bring hope to the hopeless, build trust and cultivate relationships.
Christmas Outreach Teams serve with ER staff members, partners and local volunteers as we provide gifts, food, games, crafts, face painting and lots of hugs. We accept volunteers who are sponsored by their company, school or church, as well as those coming as individuals, all of whom form a single team serving under ER leadership. Christmas Outreach Teams are made up of people from various countries, cultures, races and religious affiliations.
For the South Africa team, we require team members to be a minimum of 16 years old and in good health. Our Quito Team may accept family groups with children, depending on space and the ages of the children. Contact us for more information about this.
Volunteer Opportunities: You will be asked to serve in a variety of ways: Preparing gift bags, collecting supplies, preparing and serving food, face painting, crafts, games, crowd control, party admissions and other party-related tasks. See a short slideshow featuring our 2019 Christmas teams here.
Learn more about the impact of our Christmas Teams.
Don’t Take our Word for It… See What Team Members Are Saying
During a normal year, we average 200 volunteers helping our organization and our partner organizations by serving throughout the world. Here are a few testimonials from those who have served.
“I have been on 7 teams all to Ecuador. I learned how bad the poverty actually is in Quito and the surrounding areas. Each time I return to Ecuador, I am humbled and become more thankful that I can help make a difference in another part of the world.”
“I have been a part of four Christmas teams in South Africa, the Philippines and Ecuador. Each trip was completely unique. I’ve grown and stretched out of my comfort zone every time. I love seeing how ER supports its partners. Caring for people in the field is so important. My passion is to encourage and uplift those who serve people who are needy and hurting. That’s why I love serving with ER. They go into communities with a heart to serve, equip and build people up. I want to be a part of that!”
“I’ve been on 10 Christmas teams in ER’s three regions, as well as longer volunteer stints in Ecuador and Manila. I’ve been fascinated by the different partners ER works with to see the diversity of support and learn how locally run partner organizations use different approaches to support local needs. I love watching the children I have worked with grow up and I treasure the international friendships I have made at the parties.”
Do Something Today
Short-Term Volunteers and Career Staff are vital to the success of Extreme Response and our programs. Without you, we would not be able to change as many lives as we do. We mobilize people to serve others through volunteering, career work and advocating.