Enriching the community
Local Scotiabank donates another $15,000 to Santa Claus Fund
For the last three years the local Scotiabank has donated more than $45,000 to the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund and helped to raise even more in the community.
During the pandemic, a plan was made to continue Scotiabank’s tradition of matching donations up to $15,000, said SCF executive director Deanna Doerksen.
Nicole Pituley, branch manager at the Scotiabank on Carry Drive, says staff from the Carry Drive office, the branch on Third Street downtown and the Scotiabank wealth office downtown first got involved four years ago as volunteers and became passionate about the cause.
“It’s about the magic of Christmas, the experience, the being together and making those happy memories,” said Pituley pointing out that many clients of the SCF want exactly this, but don’t have the means to achieve it. “The fact that the Santa Claus Fund can help with that... It was a no-brainer. We have to help.”
Three Christmases ago and the following year, Scotiabank took part in the SCF Spirit of Giving Gala and decorated a Christmas tree that was auctioned off. Scotiabank then also matched the funds for the tree to a maximum of $15,000.
Pituley says the process felt like a team-building exercise for all the staff.
Doerksen says due to the pandemic a different approach was needed this last December.
They decided that toys and cash donated at the Scotiabank branches, and one other location, would be matched by the bank up to a maximum of $15,000. Ultimately Scotiabank not only matched the donations but was instrumental in encouraging donations from the public for a total of nearly $30,000.
Pituley says she was surprised that $15,000 worth of toys and donations were made and observing some of the people coming in to drop off a gift was heart warming.
Doerksen says a cash value was determined for the toys which Scotiabank matched. For people making donations, it was a great incentive to know that their gift would be matched in value.
The funds are used to provide grocery vouchers for local families to purchase a Christmas meal and toys are purchased to provide an opportunity for local families to select a gift too, she said.
“We have lots of community leaders in corporate Medicine Hat that stepped up and donated to this program to help us reach our goal,” said Doerksen.