A lucky Lower Mainland resident is getting a new car for Christmas.
New Westminster Family Place has been raising funds for its programs through a raffle, with Key West Ford supplying a 2008 Ford Focus SE. Mayor Jonathan Cote dropped by the dealership on Dec. 16 and drew Cindy Chang’s name from the barrel.
“Thanks to all those people who bought tickets,” said Fay Duxbury, coordinator of volunteers at Family Place.
The raffle is expected to raise about $2,000 for New Westminster Family Place, which offers free drop-in programs for parents and kids, parent education programs, support groups, volunteer programs.
Girl Guides give back
The Record helped spark a little Christmas action among local Girl Guides.
After reading about the Seniors Services Society’s Santa for Seniors program in the 2015 Guide to Giving, the Girl Guides of Canada in New Westminster immediately took action. The program aims to ensure that isolated seniors aren’t forgotten at Christmas.
Diamond Isinger, West Coast area commissioner for the Girl Guides of Canada, said the group wanted to help the society as it faced unexpected challenges with their Santa program. (The society normally partners with a for-profit that does a lot of the program’s legwork, but learned in November that service wasn’t being offered this year.)
“Girl Guides participate in service activities to teach girls about giving back, leadership skills, and our community's needs, and girls were glad to take on this new project,” she wrote in an email to the Record. “In less than five days, New West girls gathered a massive volume of donations: homemade holiday cards, Girl Guide cookies, warm gloves, tasty tea, sweet treats, toiletry items, and more. This collection was a huge success.”
The girls delivered the items to the Seniors Services Society after school on Dec. 17 – a generous way to start their winter vacations.
Buy a calendar, support those in need
If you’re looking to buy a 2016 calendar, you can help the Union Gospel Mission at the same time.
Folks who participated in a photography class that’s part of the Healing Through Art program at the New Westminster mission have contributed photos to a new calendars.
“This program makes art accessible for people experiencing barriers such as homelessness, poverty or addiction,” said Edith Tazumi, community and outreach with the UGM. “Through programs like this, guests are equipped with important life skills that help them move forward in a healthy, holistic way.”
The calendars are available by donation ($10 is suggested). They’re available by contacting [email protected] or at the Union Gospel Mission at 658 Clarkson St. or 604-525-8989.
Spreading Christmas joy
Barbara Di Giovanni enjoyed helping others so much last Christmas that she decided to do it again this year.
Last year, Di Giovanni helped supply the Elizabeth Fry Society with “shoebox presents” for women and children in need. The program was such a huge success that she did it again this year and planned to donate the items to Westminster House, a recovery home for women in New Westminster.
“It’s wonderful. I am probably going to have just a little more than 32 boxes, beautiful boxes for the women at Westminster House,” she told the Record. “I am just finalizing putting bows on them. Everybody gets a nice little card that says, To you, from someone who cares.”
Last year, Di Giovanni collected 55 gifts for boys and girls, as well as boxes with mittens, scarves, colouring books and crayons and other items, and about 34 boxes for the women. Women’s items contained in the boxes included gift cards, makeup items, toiletries, socks and underwear, chocolates, movie tickets and jewelry.
“I have wonderful friends and family who really, really are behind this with me. They think what I am doing is a wonderful thing,” she said “I don’t like it when people who are struggling are forgotten.”
Di Giovanni thinks the more people give to others, the better they feel about themselves.
Along with the gift boxes filled with goodies, the New Westminster resident gathered empty cookie tins and delivered them to Westminster House in time for the holidays.
“The ladies at Westminster House also bake cookies. When they go visit their families, the have made the cookies and brought them over to them,” Di Giovanni said. “It’s nice.”
Puffers Club enjoys lovely surprise
Members of the New Westminster Puffers Club were delighted with an unexpected surprise at their recent Christmas luncheon.
Each member of the group had contributed $25 (including taxes and tip) for a lunch at the Waffle House on Dec. 14.
“Our treasurer stood up. She said, ‘I have to return all your money to you, we had had an anonymous donor pay,’” Ron Wood, the group’s vice-president told the Record. “It’s such a nice gesture.”
The bill wasn’t any chump change either, tallying about $500 for the group of 20. The donor was adamant about remaining anonymous.
Wood said it’s the third time he’s been dining out with a local group when a kind-hearted citizen picked up the tab for dinner. Previously, he’d been with seniors groups dining at Gino’s Restaurant in Sapperton when a stranger paid for dinner.
The New Westminster Puffers Club meets each month and features guest speakers. The meetings are open to anyone with or having friends with COPD, sleep apnea, asthma or any other breathing problems. The group’s next meeting is on Monday, Jan. 11 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the New Westminster Public Library auditorium, 716 Sixth Ave.
Save the date:
Order of the Eastern Star Friendship Chapter #75 and Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band are putting on the Royal City Robbie Burns Gala at Anvil Centre on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. The evening includes a traditional Robbie Burns dinner, a silent auction, and a performance by world-class bagpipers, drummers and champion highland dancers. Evelyn Benson will be doing the Immortal Memory. Tickets are $75. For information, call 604-524-5675 or email [email protected].
