‘Hidden heroes’ sought for The Christmas Wish
A Port Dalhousie business owner is looking to spread a little holiday joy to community members who go above and beyond to help others, or, as he likes to call them, the hidden heroes.
Last year, Wolfgang Guembel of Lock Street Brewery launched The Christmas Wish, through which he recognized six such community members. Each of the people were nominated by other members of the community, and each of them made an impact in a unique way.
Inspired by WestJet airline’s annual Christmas Miracle campaign, whereby they surprise unsuspecting Canadians with giveaways each year, Guembel said he wanted to do something similar.
“I thought, if I was rich, that’s what I would do — surprise people at Christmas,” he said. “I’m not rich, though, but I realized I could still do something using what I have.”
The next step, for him, was identifying who he wanted to surprise. When Guembel was still competing as a triathlete, training frequently at Brock University’s pool, he thought of a young swimmer who would be there training every morning. A neighbour who, as Guembel put it, had “no skin in the game” would get up early every morning and drive the young woman to the pool simply to help her out.
“It might not seem like much to someone, but they’re not thinking about this man who gets up every morning, scrapes the ice off his car window in February and makes sure he has gas in the tank, so he could bring this young swimmer to the pool so she could train,” he said. “There are lots of people like him, people who are doing these selfless acts, not for recognition — in fact, many of them shun recognition. They’re just doing it because they’re kind and generous people. They deserve to be celebrated.”
Guembel teamed up with Mayor Walter Sendzik, and together they worked with the people who nominated the special guests to arrange surprise pickups. The six honourees were picked up in a limo bus, provided by Coventry Transportation, and sipped on sparkling wine as they made their way to Lock Street Brewery, where they were surprised with a full Christmas dinner. Partway through the dinner, Guembel stood up and revealed why they were all there.
“I think the most touching part, for them, was realizing that someone noticed: someone noticed what they were doing and thought to nominate them,” he said.
This year, Guembel’s hoping to surprise six more people with a special party meant to recognize their contributions. Sendzik will again be involved with the reveal, and Kate Carnegie Media is on board for the second year to help The Christmas Wish reach a wide audience.
Guembel said he’s hoping to get many nominations from across the Golden Horseshoe area. For more information or to nominate a “hidden hero,” visit thechristmaswish.ca.