Community elves will trek door-to-door with armfuls of gifts for those expecting a less than magical Christmas next month.
Understanding Christmas isn’t always a joyful time, the non-profit Magic of Christmas charity has Santa and his elves bringing gifts to individuals and families in Black Diamond, High River, Okotoks and Turner Valley who are alone, sad, ill or struggling financially.
The entourage visits about 100 homes annually, singing songs while bringing gifts and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. This year’s buses will make their rounds on Dec. 19.
“All the people’s faces and the joy and happiness and what it brings to people makes it a worthwhile cause,” said chief elf Donna Cameron. “I love the smiles. It brings a huge smile to my face.”
Cameron remembers a year when the Magic of Christmas elves joined Santa to visit the home of a single lady, bringing gifts and a box of oranges.
“She saw the box of oranges and started crying,” she recalls. “She said, ‘I love these oranges so much, but I haven’t been able to afford them. It makes my Christmas.’ For a four dollar box of oranges to make someone’s life different, that’s the joy in it.”
The organization relies on gifts and money donations from citizens and businesses each year.
“If we only get enough gifts for one gift per person that’s what we get,” said Cameron. “We just go on what the year gives us.”
Magic of Christmas gets an added boost by being one of the five recipients in the Western Wheel’s Wheel Cares fundraising campaign.
Cameron said last year’s contribution from the campaign allowed the organization to purchase a game for each family with money to spare.
“The Western Wheel has been an amazing thing for us to have,” she said. “It’s just given us hope because we know we’ve got some there to back us up for a couple of years.”
The leftover money last year will allow the charity to purchase tea towels for each household, which will be added to cloths and pot scrubbers being made and donated by community members, said Cameron.
“That makes up one of the family gifts this year,” she said. “It really does mean a huge amount to us. We are very thankful for this donation.”
Just as important as the donations are the volunteers, said Cameron.
These people assist with shopping, wrapping gifts, organizing items and delivering gifts to the families. Even students at St. John Paul II Collegiate prepare backpacks filled with useful items to donate.
“If I took numbers, which I never do, we would be up to 200 volunteers from everybody that’s done everything from shopping to wrapping,” she said. “We want people to see what we are about. It opens your eyes.”
Recipients are referred and must give permission to receive from the Magic of Christmas. The cut off date for applications is Dec. 9
To donate, volunteer or submit an application call Donna at 403-938-5800.
New, unwrapped gift items can be dropped off at Monkey Mountain Toys, Fountain Tire and Village Lane Dental for all age groups.
Other recipients for the Western Wheel Cares fundraising initiative include the Okotoks Food Bank, Foothills Country Hospice, Sheep River Health Trust and Rowan House Emergency Shelter.
To participate call Gayle Wolf at the Western Wheel office Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 403-938-6397.
Make a donation using your credit card, debit, cash or cheque (payable to Western Wheel Cares) at #9 McRae Street or mail to Box 150, Okotoks, AB T1S 2A2. Please do not mail cash.
Alternatively, visit www.westernwheel.com to donate using Paypal.
Donations of $10 or more will receive a 2015 official tax receipt at the end of the campaign.
For more information about Wheel Cares contact Gayle Wolf at 403-938-6397 or [email protected].
