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Christmas is a time for celebration, family gatherings and giving. In Westman, nothing could be closer to the truth.
Hidden away in the basement of the former Eaton’s store is an organization that spends months each year bringing together food and gifts so that others can have a joyous holiday season.
The Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer Registry can trace its roots back to 1955 when members of the Brandon Council of Woman saw a need for a central Christmas registry. Their aim was to see all families who needed it received assistance. They were a clearinghouse of sorts and would provide the names of those in need to other organizations who were willing to pack and deliver parcels of Christmas Cheer.
[jaw_quote author=”” ]Mission Statement: To provide Christmas dinner and gifts for the children, for families in the Westman area who would otherwise go without.[/jaw_quote][jaw_clear]
“We ask people if they would like to adopt a family,” said Myrna Lane, Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer Registry. “We usually have about three hundred families in Westman who are interested in doing that. We act as a sort of clearinghouse, all the names come to us and we send them out and we pack here as well.”
Eventually, by the 1970s, the registry began packing and distributing hampers directly and now packs and delivers more than 1000 every year.
To achieve this feat the 19 board members of the registry solicit the help of more than 200 others in an operation that is massive in scale.
“We have over a hundred volunteers and then our board above that. They have been coming in. They wrap gifts. They have been preparing the hampers,” said Lane. “There are also about 120 drivers who deliver the hampers.”
100% of the funding for the annual campaign comes from donations from individuals and corporations. Several organizations in the community hold fundraisers each year with the proceeds going to the registry. Others contribute in unique ways such as the annual Teddy Bear and Toque Toss that the Brandon Wheat Kings hosts. When the team scores their first goal during a specific home game those in attendance are encouraged to throw new stuffed animals and toques onto the ice. More than 35,000 stuffed animals have been donated to the Cheer registry since 1994 this way.
Although the registry has completed their deliveries for 2018 they begin planning and purchasing items for next year’s campaign in early January.
If you would like to make a donation to the Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer Registry you can visit their website or click on the link below.
Link | Brandon & Westman Christmas Cheer Registry Donations
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