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The Brampton Guardian
Santa Fund donations— every dollar counts
Wednesday December 10 2008
Ashley Goodfellow
It doesn’t take a lot of money to make Christmas a special time of year for others in the community— and when we band together, the impact can be tremendous.

To date, The Guardian has raised $15,091 for the charity campaign that delivers gift boxes to less-fortunate children in the city. At this time last year, the campaign was halfway to its $40,000 goal.

But what we’ve realized this year, with tough economic times upon us, is that there is power in numbers.
Though historically most of the donations to this charity are private contributions, we are seeing an increase in community-wide efforts. This year, many community groups are stepping up with their own fundraising initiatives to bring donations forward to The Brampton Guardian Santa Claus Fund— and we urge other organizations, offices and schools consider doing the same so we can provide roughly 5,000 less fortunate kids in Peel with a gift on Christmas morning.

The Guardian still has a long way to go in just under two weeks— and it isn’t too late to get into the spirit and support a great local cause.

“Every dollar counts and will make a difference for a child in Brampton, “ said Ken Nugent, publisher of The Guardian.

Here at the Brampton Guardian office, for instance, in addition to other fundraising events we hold a weekly 50/50 draw that has amounted to several hundred dollars worth of donations in just a few weeks.

Now in its seventh year, The Brampton Guardian Santa Claus Fund provides gift boxes to underprivileged children in our community, from newborns through to 12-year-olds. The boxes are designed to be age specific and contain both practical and fun items, from hats and mitts to candy and toys.

With this charity, all donated dollars go directly to the purchase of the gift box contents and the paper covers the cost for all of the administrative fees.

If you are interested in raising a few dollars to make it a happy Christmas for kids in our community, here are a few ideas to get your group into the season spirit of giving:
• 50/50 draws
• festive bake sale (an annual tradition at The Guardian office)
• gingerbread house raffle (another annual tradition at The Guardian office)
• donating proceeds from a Christmas concert
• Christmas craft sale
• penny drives
• gingerbread cookie decorating day
• homemade Christmas card sale
• gift wrapping drive
• snow shovelling drive

The Brampton Guardian is still seeking donations from the public for this charity campaign. There is no minimum donation required for the Brampton Guardian Santa Claus Fund.
How to donate: Please send a cheque to The Brampton Guardian Santa Claus Fund, 7700 Hurontario St., Unit 201, Brampton, ON, L6Y 4M3. Visa and MasterCard donations can be made by calling 416-869-4847 or online by visiting www.thestar.com/santaclausfund.
The Toronto Star absorbs all administrative costs so all proceeds go directly into buying the gifts. Tax receipts will be issued.

If you have been touched by the Santa Claus Fund, or have a story to tell, please e-mail Ashley Goodfellow at agoodfellow@thebramptonguardian.com or phone 905-454-4344, ext. 268.