On Friday, December 16, 2016, Sears North Bay dropped off a sleigh full of donated gifts to Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca as part of Sears’ annual Tree of Wishes program.
Each year, Sears Canada makes wishes come true for children in local communities. Sears staff and patrons choose a snowflake from the Tree of Wishes that contains a child’s gift wish and purchase that gift anonymously in time for Christmas. Sears associates then wrap the gifts and donate them to a local children’s program.
The Tree of Wishes program is entering its nineteenth year and, for the last several years, Sears North Bay has chosen to support Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca and its “Helping Hands” initiative, which sees Hands staff volunteer their time to work with community sponsors to organize Christmas gifts and meals for client families.
Thanks to the generosity of Sears and the North Bay community, all 42 snowflake wishes were filled this year.
“Each year thousands of children wake up Christmas morning and don’t have a gift waiting for them under the tree. The Sears Tree of Wishes is a tangible way for us all to help reduce the number of children in the community who may wake up on Christmas morning without a gift under the tree,” said Audrey Graham of Sears Canada in North Bay. “Nationally, over 7,200 gifts were purchased last year. Our target this year is 10,000 wishes filled.”
“On behalf of Hands and our clients, I want to thank Sears North Bay, its associates, and customers for their generosity. The Sears Tree of Wishes program embodies the spirit of Christmas and will bring large smiles to the faces of many children on Christmas morning,” said Michelle Guillemette, Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca employee and member of the Helping Hands Committee.
This year, Hands’ “Helpings Hands” initiative enjoyed the support of 13 community sponsors (groups and companies), in addition to Sears, who helped make the holiday season a little brighter for families in the Nipissing region.
