December 16th 2024
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Enchanting! The season brings visions of golden-brown turkeys with all the trimmings. Carolers singing as the snow falls gently down. Gifts under the Christmas tree. Stockings hung by the fireplace. Family times. It’s just a special time unlike any other in the year. And a time when memories are forged that will last a lifetime.
But for many, that is not the reality of Christmas at all. For a lot of families right here in Niagara it is a struggle to pay the rent and put food on the table. Anything extra for Christmas is just not a possibility. And for those families, Christmas does not conjure up visions of warm blessed times, but rather a sense of dread at the thought of unfulfilled dreams and wishes.
For many years now, the men and women at RE/MAX Garden City Realty have stepped up and tried to make a difference.
Beginning in mid-November, a call goes out to our agents and staff reminding them of our annual ‘Caring and Sharing at Christmas’ drive and encouraging them to give. And once again this year I’m pleased to announce that give they did. In fact, in spite of the fact that the market has continued to be very challenging, the men and women of RE/MAX Garden City Realty donated almost $10,000 for the needy in and around Niagara.
The initiative is done on two fronts. One emanating from our Grimsby office which this year donated $2,530 and the other from St. Catharines and Fonthill, where a total of $7,090 was generated. All directly from the generosity of the men and women of RE/MAX.
In Grimsby, as has been the case for years now, our lovely support staff, Jillian Geddes and Cynthia Kindree are Santa’s helpers. Collecting the donations, coordinating with the charities of Grimsby, Beamsville and Smithville to adopt the families, get the wish lists and do the shopping.
In St. Catharines, once again our two Christmas elves, Phyllis Gleeson and Maureen McIvor handle all the Christmas shopping. Once upon a time, the format in St. Catharines was as it currently is in Grimsby, with actual adopted families and specific shopping lists. That has changed over the past couple of years. Working through the Salvation Army, we are told if we shop 
for the same basic needs and wants, but without specific family units in mind, the drive is able to cover more ground and touch more needy families. So out the ladies went, shopping for toys, games, dolls, etc., basic necessities and lots of food. The interim destination is a large warehouse set up a lot like a food bank, where all the items are collected and set up on display. Families are scheduled to come in at specific times and are able to ‘shop’ for Christmas. For the families the centre is able to accommodate, it gives them a chance to have a somewhat normal Christmas with some gifts for the kids and a turkey dinner the whole family can enjoy.
It doesn’t sound like much, perhaps, but for families with nothing, it does make a difference. And for the men and women of RE/MAX Garden City Realty, it’s nice to know that as they enjoy all the festivities the season has to offer, they played a part in making some families, people they will never know, enjoy a Christmas they might not have otherwise had.