Supporting the spirit of giving
Annual event helps kids find Christmas presents for parents
Christmas shopping for your parents is never easy — especially as a kid.
The Redcliff Scouts tried to making holiday shopping less stressful this year, by holding their second annual Santa’s Gone Toonie event, where kids can browse a wide range of potential gifts and get them wrapped while their parents sit in another room and wait.
“We want to give kids the chance to buy gifts for the adults in their lives,” said scout advisor Tanya Schaffer. “After they’re done shopping they can take home a special gift with them, and the adult didn’t have to pick it for themselves or guide the child.”
During the year, the scout group asks the community to donate old or unneeded items, that they can sell at this event for $2, with all of the money raised going back into the Redcliff Scouts’ programs.
“It’s been really busy this year, there’s been a lot more kids than last year, and I think we’re raising a lot more money this year, which is a good thing,” said venturer scout Emily Lukacs.
Schaffer says the group is hoping the community will be able to donate more items next Christmas season.
“It’s noon and we’re running out of stuff — the event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” she said. “Everything we have is gone and we can’t take any more kids. It’s great that this is so successful, but we’re going to need to expand a bit next year so more kids get the chance to do some shopping.”
Schaffer says the event is all about the kids.
“It’s just so great to see them do their own thing,” she said. “They come in and look at things and they’re all excited. They look at something and say, ‘My dad would love that,’ and that’s what we want, we want that excitement.”