Every donation makes a difference - every toy, every book, every dollar. Just as important, though, are the people behind the donations. They're the ones, after all, who make the choice to give, and to whom we can offer thanks. The Christmas Fund receives support from individuals and families, businesses and community groups, schools and sports teams and churches. This gallery is dedicated to all of them, and their many acts of kindness.
This year, at their annual Christmas Luncheon, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce raised $2,500 for the Christmas Fund. A big thank you to Matt Pitcairn and his team for their incredible support! |
A heartfelt thank you to Ashton Service Group President Brian Williams and Christmas Fund Chair Rob Howard for leading the first ever Richmond Home Builders and Contractors Challenge, which raised over $7,000 for the Christmas Fund! |
If you scroll through the Christmas Fund Giving Gallery, you'll come across a lot of over-sized red cheques, like the one above. They were all printed - free of charge - by David Newman and his team at Signarama Richmond. While the money from the cheques went to the Christmas Fund, the cheques themselves were given to the donors, as mementos of their generosity. In addition to offering free printing services, David made a cash donation himself, because he's just that awesome! |
Cox and Elsie Tan-Ngo, of Clinical Sleep Solutions, participated in The Dream Project for the second year in a row, once again donating $1,000. We're so grateful for their continued generosity! |
Led by Henry Beh, the Richmond Chinese Community Society is a regulator contributor to the Richmond Christmas Fund. This year, they were extremely generous once again, making a $1,000 donation so families in need can celebrate the holidays. |
This is the second year in a row that CDI College has participated in The Dream Project. They matched last year's $500 donation, but didn't stop there! Students at the Richmond campus contributed an additional $1,520 - money they raised through a silent auction - bringing this year's total donation to an incredible $2,020! A huge thank you to Campus Director Karin Fischer and her wonderfully generous students! |
Nothing better epitomizes the Christmas Fund spirit than the simple idea of kids giving to kids. In this example, students at Dixon Elementary School collected and donated dozens of toys, all so children in need will have a holiday season to remember. Think of it this way: the smiles in this photo will lead to smiles on Christmas morning. That interconnectedness perfectly illustrates what it means to be part of a community - a lesson these students have already learned, and are passing onto others. |
A little background is needed to understand what's happening in this photo. The young folks are from an Economics 12 class at Cambie Secondary School. This year, they took part in a pilot project called Reach Richmond, founded by Gurdy Jagde and RCRG board member Jacky Tang. The project is designed to engage youth in local philanthropy, and the first beneficiary was the Richmond Christmas Fund. At a fundraising event at Aberdeen Centre, Reach Richmond participants collected nearly $460 in donations, which they presented - in giant cheque form - at Cambie's Breakfast with Santa event. Long story short: the youth in this photo are well on their way to becoming community leaders, and are already making a significant difference. For that, we thank them! |
Every year, the Christmas Fund's largest donation comes from the Richmond Auto Mall. And the donation is always a little larger than the year before. 2016 was no exception. The money is raised at the Auto Mall's Windows of Hope event, in which teams of volunteers - 280 in 2016 - paint festive scenes on the windows of car dealerships. The dealerships, in turn, make donations to the Christmas Fund, as do their suppliers. The event also has dozens of incredible sponsors. When you put all that together, along with some amazing leadership from Gail Terry and her team, you get a $33,495 donation. All we can say is thank you - a million times over. |
River Rock Casino Resort's accounting team got in the holiday spirit by making a $1,000 donation to the Christmas Fund. |
When Rosa Salcido, principal at Vivid Green Architecture, isn't building new homes and offices, she's helping to build community. This year, her firm made a $500 donation to the Christmas Fund, as part of The Dream Project. Thanks for your support, Rosa! |
Richard Vetter and his family own and operate WealthSmart, a financial advisory firm in Steveston. Given his connections to Richmond's business community, it makes sense that Richard is also the founder of The Dream Project, a fundraising campaign that brings together local entrepreneurs in support of the Christmas Fund. In a wonderful case of leading by example, the Vetter family donated $1,650 this year - part of the over $10,000 raised by the campaign overall. |
If only that cheque were made of chocolate... Sorry, we've got chocolate on the mind because this $500 donation comes by way of Sinfully The Best, a first-time participant in The Dream Project. The Steveston store has a well-earned reputation for producing some of the most delectable chocolates in all of Greater Vancouver. Their recipe for success includes a healthy helping of community involvement, such as this year's generous contribution to the Christmas Fund. |
George Pytlik, of Adwiz Communications, has been supporting the Christmas Fund for two years, so clearly, he's very generous. But he's also incredibly talented. As an in-kind donation, George built The Dream Project's website from scratch, ensuring that the fundraising campaign has a stunning online home. |
You have to squint a little, but that right there is a $500 cheque, presented by Brett Kendrick, of Nurse Next Door, to the Richmond Christmas Fund. This is the second consecutive year that the company has donated to the Christmas Fund. Like 2015, Nurse Next Door's contribution comes via The Dream Project, a fundraising challenge among local entrepreneurs. And that's only monetary donations. Brett and his team also donate carloads of toys - literally - at the Christmas Fund Drive-Thru Event. |
Steveston Girls’ Night Out (GNO) is a popular annual event that gives Richmond women an opportunity to shop ‘til they drop in Steveston Village, where participating merchants offer special discounts and swag bags. This year, GNO took place on November 24, and partial proceeds from the sold out after-party – $600 in all – were donated to the Richmond Christmas Fund. Pictured here at the cheque presentation is GNO founder Erinn Bryan (centre), along with Christmas Fund Chair Rob Howard and Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives Chair Pat Watson. |
In addition to participating in Tourism Richmond's Day of Giving, Pacific Gateway Hotel is RCRG's - and thus the Christmas Fund's - venue partner. They host a number our events during the holiday season, providing a wonderful space for Christmas Fund gatherings. |
In just four short years, Steveston Beer Fest, organized by O'Hare's GastroPub & Liquor Store, has grown to become one of Richmond's premier community events. It's also one of the Christmas Fund's biggest fundraisers, generating over $13,000 in 2016, and over $50,000 since it was first held, in 2013. Now, you may be thinking, get 40+ craft breweries and some of Steveston's best restaurants together and - voila! - instant success! Well, not true! The event is so successful because of the two folks in the centre of this photo: Grant and Erinn Bryan. The amount of work they put into Beer Fest - and we've seen it firsthand - is staggering. Truly, they're among the most engaged and passionate community members we've ever met, and we couldn't be more grateful for their support. |
The airport community supports the Christmas Fund in a number of ways, but one of the most enduring is an annual $5,000 donation from YVR For Kids. The funding allows us to host a free "Skate With Santa" at Minoru Arenas, open to all Christmas Fund families. Aside from getting to hit the ice alongside Jolly Old St. Nick, children at the event are treated to hot chocolate, popcorn, and a goodie bag full of gifts. |
Tuesday, November 29 was Tourism Richmond's 4th Annual Day of Giving. This year, 16 restaurants and hotels took part - more businesses than ever before! What did they do, exactly? Well, they each donated a portion of their day's sales - or made a lump sum donation - to the Christmas Fund. Tourism Richmond then contributed $5,000 of its own, bringing the overall total to $11,142.92. As it turns out, when Tourism Richmond isn't busy attracting visitors to our beautiful city, they're finding creative ways to give back to the community! |
Without Bekins Moving & Storage, there's no way we could set up the Christmas Fund Toy Room. Each year, Bekins provides $7,200 of in-kind services, which encompasses both transporting and storing toys. And trust us, it's a lot of toys! We like to think of it this way: because Richmond residents are so generous with their toy donations, we needed to find a company that would be equally generous in providing the space, equipment, and manpower needed to get those toys to families. In Bekins, we definitely found that company! |
For the third year in a row, the Rotary E-Club of Lulu Island has made a $500 donation to the Richmond Christmas Fund. We're very grateful for the support, and thank all club members - including Councillor Bill McNulty - for giving back to families in need. |
The longest running fundraising campaign in support of the Richmond Christmas Fund is the Realtor Challenge, which was first held in 2011. Every year since, dozens of local real estate professionals have donated to the Christmas Fund. This year's effort, led once again by Patti Martin, raised an incredible $14,520! Even more impressive, though, is the six-year-total, which now stands at over $50,000! A huge thank you to RE/MAX Westcoast, Sutton Group Seafair Realty, Macdonald Realty Westmar, and all of the individual Realtors who have taken part. |
When the team at SmartREIT isn't painting Windows of Hope, they're making substantial donations to the Richmond Christmas Fund. In 2016, for the fourth year in a row, they contributed $2,500 to the program. Now, let us just do some math here...carry the one...and...yep, by our calculations, their overall donation now stands at a pretty incredible $10,000! Talk about a caring company! |
On Saturday, November 19, the Richmond RCMP held their 2nd Annual Christmas Fund Toy Drive and Pancake Breakfast at Ironwood Plaza. Year two meant double the generosity, as twice as many toys were collected compared to 2015. So many toys, in fact, that not one but two squad cars were needed to carry them all! Monetary donations also increased this year, topping $1,000. Thank you to everyone who participated, and to the event's many fantastic sponsors. Thank you most of all, though, to the Richmond RCMP. The enthusiasm they showed planning and promoting the event was absolutely incredible, and that enthusiasm paid off on Saturday. Clearly, cops care a great deal about their community, and as result, a lot of children are going to wake up smiling on Christmas morning. |
The holiday season is, in part, about nostalgia. The most well known and well loved Christmas carols, for example, were written anywhere between 50 and 200 years ago. Why do we bring this up? Because Dave Adshead, on the left, belongs to the Pacific Woodworkers Guild. Every year, his group donates toys to the Christmas Fund - wooden toys that they make themselves. The craftsmanship is amazing, and you know what? The wooden cars, trucks, boats, and wagons are always among the most popular items in the Christmas Fund Toy Room. So to Dave and his talented team of volunteers, we say thank you - both for the toys, and for showing us that the simple pleasures of the past can still be enjoyed today. |
The 2nd Annual Richmond RCMP Toy Drive, in support of the Christmas Fund, will be held November 19, at Ironwood Plaza. Last year's event was a huge success, raising nearly $1,000, and collecting a squad car full of toys. And like last year, there's an amazing incentive to get involved: everyone who donates at the 2016 event will be treated to a free pancake breakfast! Supporting a great cause, enjoying some delicious food - sounds like the perfect Saturday morning! |
For the second year in a row, some of Richmond's top entrepreneurs are supporting the Christmas Fund via The Dream Project. Organized by Richard Vetter, of WealthSmart, The Dream Project is a fundraising campaign that combines incredible generosity with compelling storytelling. Those who donate to the campaign are featured on The Dream Project's website, where they talk about their own Christmas memories, and why dreams matter - particularly during the holiday season. In 2015, the campaign raised an astounding $6,000, and they're looking to top that in 2016. This year's edition kicked off on November 3, with a launch party at Pacific Gateway Hotel (pictured above). You can track their progress on The Dream Project's Chimp donation page, and even get involved yourself! |
On June 10, Teresa Wat, MLA for Richmond Centre, presented a $5,000 grant to Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives on behalf of the Government of BC. The funding will allow us to purchase new computer equipment for the Christmas Fund and our other programs. Pictured along with Ms. Wat are Rob Howard, Christmas Fund Chair (left), and Ed Gavsie, President & CEO of RCRG. |
Master Michael Sirota (left), Owner and Operator of Sirota's Alchymy Martial Arts & Life Skills Centre, has donated a unique and very generous gift to the Christmas Fund. Beginning in 2016, Master Sirota will provide 20 scholarships a year - valued at $1,000 each - so children from Christmas Fund families can attend his school. What an amazing opportunity! |
On the left of this photo is Wayne Duzita, past Chair of the Richmond Christmas Fund. On the right is Doug Harder, who supports the Christmas Fund as a member of the Richmond Lions Club. We want to draw your attention, though, to the man in the centre. That's Chris Bayliss, Executive Director of the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, a role he's held since 1999. Each year, the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau provides the Christmas Fund with a container full of toys. And no, not a Tupperware container - a shipping container. It represents our single biggest toy donation, so a huge thank you goes out to Chris and his team. |