Local Charity Granting Children's Gift Wishes Through Santa's Sleigh Program
/The Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Foundation (KHCAS) has launched their Santa’s Sleigh program encouraging the community to donate gifts on children’s wish lists at Walmart (Chemong location) announced Thursday.
In 2019, $50,000 in gifts were donated by the community for roughly 1,200 children and teens. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The supported children of the charity wrote their gift list on cards and hung it on a tree at Walmart. Anyone can grab the card, purchase the gift and donate it in a dropbox shaped like Santa’s sleigh.
Money, gift cards and presents not on wish lists are encouraged and accepted for the program as alternate ways to help.
"There are lots of kids in need of gift cards especially some of the older kids involved with the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society,” said Carrie Truman, KHCAS executive director. “You can donate those gift cards monetary donations at the sleigh or you can make a donation online at our foundation website. This gift will go directly to the child in our community so that together we can put a smile on their face Christmas morning.”
KHCAS has been running the Santa’s Sleigh program for the past 32 years. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
During the 2020 campaign, the program ran under different conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and could not do their traditional sleigh drive. Local realtors had donated money through the REALTORS Care Foundation to ensure gifts were given to all the children last year.
"We are so excited to be back here this year,” exclaimed Truman. “We were just doing gift cards but people have been phoning me and asking if we're going to be back so I know that the community is excited to be buying physical gifts for the kids involved with the society.”
The tree with the wish lists is set up at the Home & Pharmacy entrance of Walmart on Chemong Road. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
