THUNDER BAY — For 16 years, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care has been making Christmas brighter for children in care, thanks to its annual Christmas Wish campaign.
Over the last decade-and-a-half, Christmas Wish has delivered nearly 9,000 gift bags to children in Northwestern Ontario, each iconic red bag filled with personalized gift items tailored to individual children, a reflection of their individual personality.
From essential clothing and necessities to toys, books and learning supplies, the program has been a huge success for Dilico, but it can’t happen without the support of the public.
"We’re really looking for the public to come out and share some warm wishes for the kids and purchase some gifts for them,” said Sarah Pelletier, the assistant director of child welfare at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care.
“Our kids are in need throughout the holiday season, so we’re really looking just for some special items to be gifted to the kids and make some of their wishes come true.”
The impact has been phenomenal, Pelletier added.
“The kids in the community, when they actually receive these gifts, it really puts a smile on their face during the holiday season. They really feel they’re appreciated, that people care about them and that members of the community care about their well-being,” she said.
Last year, more than 800 Christmas Wish bags were collected, with a value of gifts generally ranging from $30 to $100 – though some shoppers do spend much higher than that, depending on their financial abilities.
Tom Auger, assistant director of Child Welfare at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, said they’re looking to collect as many bags or more this year.
Unfortunately, he said, the need never goes away.
“We just want to make sure that no child is left behind at Christmas. We want to make sure that every single child in our community has something to open up, to smile and to laugh and to be happy about on that Christmas morning,” Auger said.
“As we’ve gone through the years, the need has grown. I can’t really say why that need has grown, and we try to meet need as best as we can.”
To take part in this year’s Christmas Wish campaign, wish bags can be picked up at Dilico Health & Wellness Centre on Court Street, Dilico Anishinabek Family Care on Anemki Drive, Goods & Co. or at any participating Starbucks location in Thunder Bay.
There will also be pop-up booths over the next two weeks, where the public can not only pick up wish bags to fill, but also purchase Christmas Wish cards. Proceeds from the sale of the cards goes towards filling up even more bags for children in need.
It’s a wonderful way to give back, said Audrey Sawchyn, who has been participating in the Christmas Wish campaign for several years, most recently with her two young children.
“We do the wish bags together. It’s a valuable opportunity to teach children the importance of giving back and a chance to show how even small actions can have a big impact.”
The deadline to return the filled bags is Dec. 2.
For more information, visit www.dilico.com/christmaswish.