True Spirit of Giving

L.I.P.I. staff gather the results of donations from the Spirit of Giving event held by Corrections. Photos by Dennis Chippa.

The Corrections Building on First Avenue was full of lights, joy and spirit Thursday as staff unveiled the results of weeks of work in the ninth annual Spirit of Giving Event.

Staff at the various ministries and business offices in the building have worked hard to adopt local charities, and decorated trees to share their results.

Lori Brooks, a Solutions Project Officer with the Corrections Ministry, is the organizer.

She says the Spirit of Giving event started small but has grown.

“It started as just an idea to get some donations to local charities. Back then we started just with one tree, I think it was one huge tree and we just gathered donations. Then we decided to split it up and keep it open to any business area that wanted to support a tree.”

This year, ten local agencies were chosen, and had trees adopted for them.

All Heart Pet Rescue, Callander Food Bank, The Gathering Place, Children’s Aid Society, Canadian Cancer Society Local Transportation Fund, North Bay Food Bank, Low Income People’s Involvement of Nipissing, Alzheimer Society, Ojibway Women’s Lodge, and Threads for Life campaign, which links up families of workers seriously injured or killed on the job for support, were all recipients of not just money, but gifts.

Donations fill the Gathering Place Tree. 

Brooks says once the charities are chosen, trees representing those charities are set up, and staff are encouraged to support or contribute.

“I think we’re at our limit now because of the space. But everybody chooses to support their local charity. People in the building can donate to any tree they want. It’s just taken off from there.”

Tanya Vrebosch from Low Income People’s Involvement says the financial and toy donations are crucial to the group’s Santa Needs Help Campaign.

“As things are starting to get tough in some of the age categories all their donations help us. Especially the gift cards for the older kids. It gets to the point where we’re struggling to try and give two to three gifts at that age. It’s a perfect time just as we’re starting to get to the tail end.”

Some of the support is also quite personal.

For instance, all the Teddy Bears on the Alzheimer Teddy Bear Tree were hand knitted or crocheted, and go to patients in long term care facilitites. 

The Teddy Bear Tree

Brooks says the  best part for staff is being able to answer the practical needs of a charity.

“All Heart Pet Rescue needed cleaning supplies and dog  treats so that’s what we aimed for. Children’s Aid a lot of times is toys. Food Bank of course it’s always cash or food donations. Everybody in the building is just so generous.”

All of the charities were also on hand to provide a face to the charity, and offer thanks and information on where the donations would go, and how they would be used.