by Deborah Rogers | photo by Amanda Cribdon Photography –
Who could argue with the idea that everyone deserves a happy Christmas? Some children, through no fault of their own, live precarious lives where they go without many of the things that the rest of the population takes for granted. Warmth, food, comfort; we’d hope that no one had to live without them in our community, and yet we know it’s not the case.
The number of families living on, or below, the poverty line is not decreasing, and there will be many children who are not anticipating the holiday season with joy and excitement this year.
CFAX Santas Anonymous has made it their mission – for over 40 years – to make sure that no child in the Greater Victoria region goes without a gift at Christmas. It is an enormous undertaking, currently being spearheaded from some unassuming offices on Keating Cross Road. I met with Christine Hewitt, Executive Director, to learn all about the work the organization does, and just how they manage to achieve it year after year.
One of the key takeaways from my visit is that CFAX Santas Anonymous is a Children’s Charity with a Christmas name. Yes, they focus their fundraising around the holidays, and much of their resources are directed towards ensuring that no family goes without at Christmas, but they support Greater Victoria children and families throughout the year too. Their granting program has distributed $2.4 million since 2002; that’s to literacy programs and breakfast clubs; dental or optometry support; as well as many sports, camps and activities.
But to Christmas, and what the organization means to kids. When a family registers with CFAX Santas Anonymous, which can happen through a variety of partner agencies, they will be contacted directly by a volunteer to learn from the parent/caregiver the gifts their child would like to receive. This year there are 2,750 kids registered! Despite the mammoth task ahead of them, Christine tells me that a volunteer will be personally connecting with each of the families and making sure that each one of those 2,750 kids receives a gift that is just right for them. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization and many have been with them for years. Making those phone calls can be a pleasure, but it can also be heartbreaking. Christine ensures support and opportunities for the volunteers to share the difficult experiences and talk together.
Each child will receive three gifts, two valued at $40 each, and a third gift that Santa’s Elves choose highlighting a child’s interests. They also provide a grocery hamper for the family. This consists of three bags of food designed to support children at home for the Christmas break including healthy breakfast and lunch options. Included in the grocery hamper is a $75 grocery gift card for parents to purchase perishables.
Providing these fundamentals of a happy holiday might be a challenging task, yet everyone involved understands that asking for help is extremely difficult for many of the families too. The reason that they’re anonymous is to remove the barrier that shame can put up. All the gifts and hampers are delivered by Victoria-area firefighters – keeping a discrete distance between the organization and the recipients.
At the Santas workshop on Keating, toys, gift cards and clothes are just starting to build up. Christine tells me that they no longer wrap the gifts, allowing families to have that input themselves. By mid-December an enormous warehouse downtown will be full with gifts of all shapes and sizes as well as the thousands of bags of groceries, ready to ease some worries and bring smiles to faces over the holidays.
I imagine most people will have seen a Tree of Wishes at a mall in the run up to Christmas. Decorated with paper ornaments that share a child’s biggest wish for Christmas, anyone can select one and purchase the gift themselves for delivery by CFAX Santas Anonymous. Buying a gift for an unknown child is a great feeling, and a teachable moment for many, as kids learn that not everyone is as fortunate as themselves.
You might not know that cash donations are also gratefully accepted. With partnerships from retailers, Christine explains that they have a lot of buying power, stretching each of those cash donations. The biggest fundraiser though is Miracle on Broad Street, an annual 12-hour radio marathon. This year’s event takes place on December 10 – make sure you tune in to CFAX radio to hear heart-warming stories of people whose own childhoods were impacted by a Santas Anonymous gift, and local celebrities and entertainers ready to get you into the spirit of giving.
Find out more and donate: www.cfaxsantas.com.
