It will be a very Merry Christmas for close to two dozen family members in Osoyoos thanks to a unique program sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Osoyoos.
The Share the Christmas Spirit program is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2015, said event organizer and longtime club member Donna Kelso.
This program allows individuals, families, or businesses to sponsor a family in the community and provide gifts and food to that family in order to give them a more memorable Christmas.
“The Osoyoos United Church used to run a similar program for many years, but they were losing quite a few members and the members they did have were getting older, so they approached us and we’ve been running it ever since 2006,” said Kelso. “The Share the Christmas Spirit program is very important to our club members and is probably are most recognized and well-known program in the community, so it’s something we really look forward to being part of every Christmas season.”
The Kiwanis Club of Osoyoos will be receiving applications from families through agencies such as Victims Assistance, Desert Sun, the Okanagan Boys & Girls Club, Food Bank, schools and churches, said Kelso.
“We then look for sponsors to match with the families,” she said. “Sponsors do not know the name of the family they will be helping and recipient families will not know the name of their benefactor.
“It’s all about helping those in the community who don’t have a lot and ensuring they will be able to enjoy a happy and enjoyable Christmas together.”
Sponsors can help by either adopting a family or by making a cash donation to the Kiwanis Club of Osoyoos. These cash donations will then be used to provide for those families who do not receive sponsorship.
“We usually have about half of the people who sign up get sponsored by a local business or family,” said Kelso. “For the other half, we use the money that is donated to purchase the food and Christmas gifts.”
Christmas gifts donated during the annual Smitty’s Toys for Tots to Teens – set for this Friday at Smitty’s Family Restaurant in Osoyoos – are donated to the Kiwanis Club as part of the Share the Christmas Spirit Program.
Families are asked to sign up for the program by the end of this week, said Kelso.
If any local resident, family or business would like to sponsor a family, the Kiwanis Club will provide the family information to you (number of family members, ages & sizes of children, special requests, etc.).
Either way, they can contact Donna Kelso at 250-495-7701.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
