Did you know?

More than 100 young leaders have graduated from the Youth Now program.

Each year, over 100 non-profit professionals attend our training opportunities.

Over two dozen non-profit organizations have participated in the Youth Now program.

The CCRR provides nearly 400 child care referrals per year.

On average, the CCRR hosts 30 workshops and training courses each year.

Every year, over 500 child care providers and parents attend CCRR training opportunities.

Every year, RCRG completes over 3,000 grocery orders for local seniors.

Nearly 300 seniors make use of our Better at Home services.

Our volunteer drivers complete more than 1,200 trips annually.

At least 350 people per year find a volunteer position using our Volunteer Match program.

Close to 500 volunteers support RCRG’s programs and services.

Volunteers contribute nearly 23,000 hours to our organization each year.

Each holiday season, the Richmond Christmas Fund helps more than 2,200 low-income residents.

Every year, the Christmas Fund provides over 600 children with toys, books, and sports equipment.

The Richmond Christmas Fund was first started by Ethel Tibbits, in the 1930s.

The number of Neighbourhood Small Grants we’ve awarded has increased every year since 2014.

Block parties are the most popular type of Neighbourhood Small Grant project.

Every year, the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre serves over 7,300 local women.

The Richmond Women’s Resource Centre currently offers 16 programs and services.

Nearly 60 volunteers support the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre, contributing nearly 2,500 hours per year.

Richmond is home to over 350 registered charities, all of which rely on volunteer support.

There are nearly 13 million volunteers across Canada.

International Volunteer Day is celebrated throughout the world on December 5.

There are 35 volunteer centres in British Columbia.

In 2016, the Foundation awarded 10 grants to non-profit organizations, worth a combined $59,000.

The Foundation manages $6 million in 60 Forever Funds, returning, on average, CPI plus 4%.

Between 2020 and 2022, the Foundation distributed $656,000 in grants, scholarships, charitable disbursements, and Emergency Community Support Funds.

Foundation activities result in the enhancement of our community and residents’ sense of belonging.

ROCA has raised over $21,000 for local charities.

ROCA has performed its Elementary School Concert Series to over 8,000 students.

ROCA provides mentoring and life changing opportunities for aspiring musicians.

The Richmond Arts Coalition was founded in November of 2005.

RAC co-produces the ArtRich exhibition every two years!

RAC highlights Richmond's arts events in a monthly email.

The Richmond Music School is the oldest not-for-profit music school in Richmond.

The Richmond Music School offers affordable music lessons through its diverse programming.

Our students performed 40 hours of music to welcome the Olympic athletes to the 2010 Olympic Games.

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Richmond Christmas Fund Returns to Its Roots

Published January 08, 2025

This past year, the Richmond Christmas Fund helped brighten the holidays for 1,303 of our neighbours in need, including nearly 550 children and youth.

It was a year of recalibration - of considering the program's mission and purpose, and how we can do the most good when space, time, and resources are limited.

We made a difficult decision, acknowledging that the Christmas Fund, if it's to remain sustainable, cannot help everyone who needs it. What we can do, however - what we promise to always do - is help those who need it most.

In 2024, the people who accessed the Christmas Fund demonstrated significant financial hardship. Without support, they wouldn't have had a holiday celebration: no toys, no gifts, no festive meal. The Christmas Fund was their last resort, their saving grace, their holiday miracle. The help they received made a meaningful difference, and is something they'll remember forever.

The past few years have been difficult for everyone: the pandemic, inflation, economic uncertainty. At the Christmas Fund, we tried our best to keep up with the need, as our service numbers increased by double-digit percentages from one holiday season to the next. Thanks to remarkable community support, we were able to rise to the challenge and meet the demand.

Ultimately, though, we saw no end in sight for the upward trend, and it was unrealistic - and unfair to our donors - to keep chasing it. The Christmas Fund began over 90 years ago as a grassroots, community-based program to help residents struggling during the Great Depression. The program has grown immensely in the decades since, but this past year, we paused to ask: is the goal to keep growing, or to keep helping? We knew we couldn't do both, and we knew the answer.

2024 saw a smaller Christmas Fund, but a more sustainable one. It was a program that helped - truly helped - 1,303 people share in the holiday spirit. That accomplishment is no small thing, and it was made possible, like always, by Richmond’s open-hearted generosity.

There are so many directions in which to extend our gratitude: towards every volunteer and every donor; towards the organizers of major events, from the Richmond RCMP Toy Drive to Steveston Beer Fest; and towards the leaders of long-running fundraising campaigns, like the Realtor Challenge and Windows of Hope.

But above all, we’re grateful for the opportunity to bring the Christmas Fund back to its roots, where the focus is on offering targeted, meaningful support to those who will benefit most. It’s how the Christmas Fund can make the greatest difference, and how, together with our volunteers and donors, we’ll continue brightening the holidays for years to come.