It’s amazing to think how far the Angel Tree has come in the past few years when it comes to community support.
The Angel Tree has been a valuable part of the Community Hamper Association for many years. It ensures that hamper recipients with kid(s) are able to provide a toy and stocking stuffer each year.
It’s also a testament to the generous nature of the people of Estevan. You take an angel from the tree. If it’s blue, you’re buying for a boy. If it’s pink, go shopping for a girl. There’s also an age inscribed on the angel, so be sure to purchase an age-appropriate gift.
If you don’t know what to buy for children these days, make a cash donation and let the Angel Tree people shop for you.
Just before Christmas, the toys will be set out in a Toy Store, with hamper recipients able to browse the toy selection.
It’s a pretty simple system, one that’s been around for years.
At one time, the Angel Tree would receive 200 or 300 toys. Parents might get to go through the store a couple of times.
But since the economic slowdown started in 2014, we’ve seen a growing demand for the hamper association, and in turn the Angel Tree. The number of toys collected as surged, as there has been a growing awareness of the Angel Tree.
Those who have lived in the Estevan area for an extended period of time understand that this is just one of many causes will be so well supported in our city. They also know that this time of year brings out the best in so many of us.
The Estevan Salvation Army remains a favourite for a lot of people, and for good reason. We all recognize the familiar clear ball kettles that will be set up at locations around the community before Christmas. When we hear the bells ringing, we know that a volunteer is standing next to a kettle.
And we know that when we give to the Salvation Army, that money is going to stay in the community, and help others in need. It’s not going elsewhere, nor is it going to the big salary of a CEO in Toronto.
The Hillcrest Christmas Store is a simple concept that teaches young people at Hillcrest School about the benefits of giving. They get to select an item for someone they love, have it wrapped, and then present that gift at around Christmas time.
The St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation held its annual Festival of Trees a few weeks ago. This was an event that started in 2013, just before the start of the recession. There were somewhat humble beginnings, but the festival has grown into a popular event, spread out over a few days that generates over $100,000 for the foundation.
Christmas is a difficult time for a lot of people. For those who don’t have family nearby, it’s a time of loneliness and isolation. For those who don’t have much, they can feel left out of the gift giving.
For others, they don’t have fond memories of Christmas.
It’s not easy for a lot of people to ask for help. They have a tough time approaching the food bank, applying for a hamper or trying to find assistance to make ends meet.
This isn’t the best time for our city, either. The days of the economic boom seen in the last decade, and the first few years of this decade, are over. Not only have we gone through a recession, but the level of uncertainty in the city, stemming from the pending closure of Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam, is likely at its highest level in decades.
We know Units 4 and 5 are going to close. We just don’t know when. When they do close, it will have negative impact on all of us.
It would be easy for people and businesses to curtail their contributions to the many causes we have in the community. But they haven’t. Instead we’ve seen the giving nature of this community come through time after time, even though we don’t know what Estevan is going to look like five or 10 years from now.
