The Kiwanis Club of Airdrie Foothills is hosting its annual Christmas fundraising event on Oct. 14 at the Crossfield and District Community Centre to raise funds for its Christmas present donation program.
The non-profit organization hosts community initiatives throughout the year to better the lives of children in the community, according to board member and chair of the event, Vanessa Logan.
She added the Christmas program is one of Kiwanis’ biggest fundraisers of the year.
“There’s a lot of families in and around Airdrie that don’t get anything on Christmas. They don’t get food, they don’t get to open anything on Christmas Day,” she said. “That’s what Kiwanis is all about – we're all about helping children.”
Logan said typically, the organization would support families in Airdrie that don’t have enough money to purchase toys or food during the holiday season, but they have moved the program to Crossfield this year.
“[Airdrie] has been well supported between Community Links, the Airdrie Food Bank, and the Lioness Club,” she said. “We learned the children and the families of Crossfield don’t really have those options available.”
According to the event chair, Kiwanis decided to move its annual event to Crossfield to support the families who don’t have a lot of money to purchase presents this holiday season. As such, they will be hosting an evening trivia night there including dinner, games, a 50/50 draw, and a silent auction.
“All the money that we raise for that does go towards getting those presents for the kids,” Logan said.
She added Kiwanis has been in Airdrie for eight years and has hosted an in-person trivia night for three of those, moving online for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the organization was able to help 48 children with its Christmas program, according to Logan.
“Since we started the program, it’s been a really big hit,” she said. “We ended up seeing the same families over and over again and with them already being supported, we know there’s a lot of families in Crossfield that don’t have resources so it’s nice to be able to give to them.”
She added depending on the funds raised, families in need will receive a gift valued at approximately $25 this year.
“It’s not a whole lot, but being able to have those few things to open on Christmas Day means a lot for those families,” Logan said.
Tickets are $255.62 for a table of six, which is approximately $40 per person, Logan added.
“You have to buy a table, so it’s not like one person can come,” she remarked.
“That being said, if they really want to still help support it, we’re more than willing to take some donations or sponsorships because the more money we raise, the more families we can help.”
The evening’s festivities are slated to begin at 6 p.m. and go until 10 p.m.
