S.W.A.N. – Success Women Always Networking, an organization for female business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals – held its final meeting of the year on Tuesday night, and took the opportunity to give a huge Christmas gift to this year’s charity of choice.
Every year, S.W.A.N. members vote for the charity that will receive the proceeds of any fundraising efforts, plus $10 from each paid membership.
For 2019, the choice was CrossTrainers Canada – the locally-based ministry that operates A Hand-Up Clothing Room, The Hub Youth Drop-in Centre, and True Vibe women’s ministry, out of the old St. Mary’s Building in Bradford.
The cheque that was presented to CrossTrainers reps Patti LaRose and Shirley Norman totalled $7,011 – largely proceeds from S.W.A.N.’s first GLOW Party, held at the Portuguese Cultural Centre back in September.
“The community really came together on this,” said S.W.A.N. president Natasha Leskiw. “Honestly, it’s the contribution of every member who came out, who hit up friends and relatives.”
The timing couldn’t have been better for CrossTrainers, which is just preparing for its annual Christmas Wish List party and dinner. CrossTrainers provides a traditional Christmas dinner to the families and individuals who use A Hand-Up clothing room, and grants each guest a wish.
“I was literally floored,” said LaRose. “I was literally blown away. It comes at the perfect time.”
As of Tuesday, there were approximately 130 people who had signed up to have a Christmas wish granted, and some of the requests have been heart-breaking.
“We’ve had (a wish for) cleaning supplies,” said LaRose. “We had one lady ask for cake and ice cream.”
“A pair of socks. A Christmas tree for the family,” added Norman. Even when the wish has been for a computer or a tablet, the asks have been modest – telling CrossTrainers that used and refurbished would be fine.
Wishes are granted by donations, and by community partners who ‘adopt’ a family or person. Many have stepped up - nine Bradford Bulldogs Rep hockey teams have each adopted a family – but there are still at least 60 ‘wishes’ that are unfulfilled.
The donation received from S.W.A.N. is “actually going towards some of the fundamental things,” LaRose told the group: replacing a couple of broken tables, providing prizes for an upcoming youth tournament, paying rent and insurance – but also covering the cost of some gifts.
“Anybody who’s not adopted at the end, we shop for them,” LaRose said.
There’s still time to adopt a Christmas Wish, by visiting the CrossTrainers Canada website, choosing a wish, and dropping off the wrapped and labelled gift at Bradford Baptist Church by 5 p.m. on Dec. 5.
The gifts will be handed out on Dec. 8 at the Christmas Dinner, which every year feeds about 200 people. The community generosity extends to the meal, LaRose said, with No Frills and Zehr’s Market providing the food, and a volunteer chef from the Campus Community Church that meets at King Christian School doing the cooking.
For more information about the Christmas Wish List, click here. For more information about S.W.A.N., its networking programs and community work, email [email protected] or see SWANBradford on facebook.com.
