Chestermere’s Christmas with Dignity program is gearing up for its annual celebration event Dec. 10 – and actively collecting donations to support families in need in Chestermere and area.
From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Dec. 10, Chestermere City Hall will be “transformed” to host the celebration component of the program. According to Danielle Fermin, family and community services co-ordinator with the City of Chestermere, the event will feature a children’s store fundraiser activity, Christmas with Dignity café, a Santa workshop at the Chestermere Public Library, and local musicians performing throughout the day.
“The whole day is really about giving back to the community and raising funds to help people who are in need of financial assistance to support their basic needs,” Fermin said. “We’ve seen a lot of support, but this is one of those years we’ve noticed that the program has been utilized a lot more.”
The Christmas with Dignity program has been operating since 2007, collecting donations that are placed in a fund to temporarily help families pay for their basic needs. According to Fermin, the program has evolved over the years to operate all year long, not just over the holiday season.
“This program started to support families during the month of December, so they could still give their children Christmas gifts, but it has grown to run year-round,” Fermin said. “We purchase gift cards for the Christmas hamper program and support people with utility disconnection notices or prescriptions that they need.”
Currently, Fermin said there are already more than 40 households registered for the Christmas hamper program, which she said is the highest number they’ve seen. This year’s back to school program had an increase of more than 60 students accessing the program, Fermin added.
“We are just seeing high numbers all across the board this year and we want to make sure that we have a healthy amount of funds that we can tap into to continue that support,” Fermin said. “There are many ways to give back, even donating time. It’s a busy time of year for us, so we welcome any support we can get.”
The committee will also be accepting sponsorships, monetary donations, silent auction and children’s Christmas store donations, as well as Christmas hamper gift donations. All donations go towards local families in need.
“We support people in Chestermere, Langdon, and throughout southeast Rocky View County,” Fermin said. “It’s so important for us to make sure this program is available to the people who need it.”
For more information or to donate, contact Fermin at 403-207-8152 or [email protected]
