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Greetings all,
Dust off your Santa hats as we welcome you back to another season of Christmas Smiles for Seniors!
This is the time of year when the Christmas Smiles family reunites to bring Christmas cheer to seniors in need during the holidays. W.T. Ellis got it right when he said “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air”.
Thank you so much for your generosity in years past. We hope you’ll choose to be a part of the Christmas Smiles for Seniors program again this year, thus keeping Major Darren Steele’s Christmas legacy alive.
Again this year, a core team will be responsible for sourcing Seniors in need, manning our website and matching Elves with Seniors. That team includes France Isabelle, Stacey Doraty, Joyce Dumont, and Dannette McLeod.
There are several options for participating:
1) Sponsor a senior(s): This role involves purchasing, wrapping, labeling, and providing a ‘wish’ gift of approximately $25.00 in value. Contact me and I will provide you with a senior and their wish. Once you have purchased your gift, arrangements will be made with me for gift drop-off or pickup. Contact with the Senior's Residences has already begun in order that we have the Wish Lists no later than mid November. We would like to have the majority of gifts in the collection process by Friday, December 10, 2010.
2) Senior’s Residence Coordinator: This role involves liaising with a senior’s residence, matching up seniors with your own network of volunteers, collecting gifts, and ultimately delivering gifts. Some residences only have a few seniors in need of a smile, whereas other facilities have over 100 seniors in need.
Alternatively, we can contact the home on your behalf and/or deliver the gifts. This will allow some degree of flexibility based on the level of participation that suits your life and schedule. If you are interested in coordinating a residence, please let me know and I’ll match you up accordingly.
A special note regarding the delivery of gifts - most of our gifts are delivered anonymously with the exception of a few residences where we are permitted to hand out gifts directly to the seniors. This is done to protect the privacy of the seniors. Our gifts are placed (by the staff) next to the senior’s bedside to be opened on Christmas morning or are opened together as a group on Christmas day.
3) Gift purchase from our Bulk list (found below): Every year, we have last minute names sent our way that we don’t have time to match with an Elf and fill their specific wishes. So to still provide them with a good dose of Christmas cheer, we provide them with a gift bag.
4) We need several contacts at each DND location to collect gifts to facilitate collection and delivery. If you can assist in this respect, please contact Dannette McLeod.
5) Finally, we need volunteers to pick up and deliver gifts. There are many, many gifts to be collected, sorted and organized before heading out the door to a residence.
If you have received this message in error, please accept our apologies. Thank you again for your support in years past. If I've missed anyone, please spread the word.
Let’s keep Darren’s Christmas magic alive!
Cheers, France, Stacey, Joyce & Dannette
Bulk Items List:
Toiletries such as · Toothbrushes · Toothpaste · Shampoo · Deodorant · Body lotion · Hand cream · Body wash Clothing such as: Socks · Mittens/gloves · Scarves · Slippers · Tim Horton’s gift cards ($5 denominations) · Dolls* (ie: baby like dolls) · Christmas treats ie. Boxed cookies and chocolates · Diabetic Candy/Chocolate · Gift bags - medium size · Tissue Paper
* Dolls go to individuals with Alzheimer's or other dementias, brain injuries, psychiatric or developmental impairments. |
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Christmas Smiles for Seniors |