SmartSimple Shares the Holiday Spirit!
Bright lights, festive music and glittering parties
abound at this time of year. But for many families, the holiday season brings
more stress than joy. It’s hard to think about buying presents for your
children when you’re not sure if you can both pay rent and put food on
the table.
Fortunately, there are organizations like Holiday Helpers and their
Adopt-a-Family program, and once again, SmartSimple is taking part by providing
a traditional Christmas to a family in need.
“It’s been such a rewarding experience for us, being able
to give an entire family not just presents but the entire holiday experience,”
says Sarah Jane Nicholson, Relationship Manager at SmartSimple and coordinator
of the Adopt-a-Family initiative. “We get a wish list from the parents for
every member of the family, so we know we’re giving them and their children
what they really want. It’s so much more personal than just providing the
necessities. We get to give the fun stuff too!”
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| Goodies baked and donated by the SmartSimple bake sale. |
Since 1996, Holiday Helpers has been sponsoring low
income families in the Greater Toronto Area. They are referred to the program
through other not-for-profit partners, and receive a tree and decorations, presents
and a gift certificate to purchase groceries for a traditional dinner with all
the trimmings. To date, Holiday Helpers have made the season merry and bright
for hundreds of families.
To ensure there was enough money to provide everything
the family wanted and needed, Sarah Jane set a very ambitious fundraising goal
of $1,500. “Holiday Helpers suggests a budget of about $100 per person, but I
wanted to be able to spend a bit more and get as many of the items on the
family wish list as possible,” she adds.
The whole SmartSimple team got on board to help.
“Everyone was so generous with donations! We also held a couple of draws for
various items – including an extra vacation day – and a huge bake sale at the
Toronto office with all the goodies prepared by our staff,” says Sarah.
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| Just some of the gifts purchased for our adopted family! |
With the funds in hand, it was time to go shopping! “I
found it so rewarding to go and buy gifts for our adopted family, and everyone
in the office was excited to watch the piles of presents grow!” says Sarah. All
the parcels were then handed off to Holiday Helper volunteers to deliver in
time for Christmas. “It’s such a rewarding feeling,” concludes Sarah, “knowing
we’ve given a family who would normally be unable to enjoy the season, not just
gifts, but the entire festive experience.”
You can learn all about Holiday Helpers and their Adopt-a-Family
initiative on their website.
From everyone here at SmartSimple, a happy, healthy and
joyous holiday season to you and yours! Be sure to keep an eye on our website and blog for upcoming webinars,
events and upgrades in 2015.
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