Ain’t no mountain high enough

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/12/2016 (2700 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Think back to a Christmas when all you longed for was a certain toy, and on that special morning, after unwrapping some brightly coloured paper, there it was.

Or think about the toy you’ve already bought for your daughter, son, grandson or granddaughter, which you’ll be putting under the tree waiting to see their excited faces as they open it on Christmas morning.

But imagine if, on that past Christmas, your family couldn’t get you a toy because putting food on the table or paying the hydro bill was more important or necessary. That toy for your family member you want to buy this year? It’s on the other side of a store window or still on a shelf because you don’t have enough money to pay for it.

Sadly, that may be the situation thousands of Winnipeg children could face this year.

The Christmas Cheer Board’s chief elf, Kai Madsen, said it’s expecting to pack about 18,500 hampers of food for people who need them — but that’s just part of their help.

“We will also look after 21,000 kids 14 years of age and under,” Madsen said.

“The 15-year-olds and up are rolled in with the adults. They get the food hampers.”

The cheer board puts age-appropriate toys into the hampers of families with children, but it’s tough for Madsen and his crew to get the toys they need for the kids. Some companies donate them, some individuals bring them in, and sometimes the cheer board buys them, but they can always use more.

That’s where you come in.

This is the third year of our Miracle on Mountain fundraiser for the cheer board. It’s a fundraiser built on the shoulders of our past seasonal fundraisers the Spirit of Christmas and Pennies from Heaven.

We still need you to send us cheques, donate online, or deposit cash or change at our drop box at the Winnipeg Free Press, but this year, we also want something else.

Tucked at the side of our atrium, on the main floor of the Free Press building, is a tall, decorated Christmas tree. But it is missing something — real presents.

We are hoping our readers — who have responded so generously in the past — will consider bringing in new and unopened toys to place under our tree. The presents would find their way to the cheer board, where they will be wrapped and placed in a hamper going to a family so that somewhere in Winnipeg a boy or girl can have at least one present they can open Christmas morning.

There is a fundraiser known as Toy Mountain. Consider this our Toys on Mountain.

Madsen said donated toys can be for any child aged 14 and younger, but the cheer board is especially looking for help finding toys for the children aged 11 to 14.

“They’re the hardest ones to find for me,” he said.

“But your readers will be much more qualified. They have kids or grandkids, so they know what they should be buying for them.”

It could be LEGO, maybe with a Star Wars theme. Or it could be a makeup kit or bottles of nail polish. Maybe a pair of pyjamas or various things for hair. I’m sure you know better than me.

Either way, you can bring the gift to the Free Press at 1355 Mountain Ave., Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Let’s make this year a real Miracle on Mountain.

To support our campaign, please mail cheques to the Miracle on Mountain, Box 1800, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 3R1.

If you wish to donate on line, go to christmascheerboard.ca/donations.php.

If you donate online, please click on the pull-down menu under where it says “Select the fund your donation will support” and click on “Miracle on Mountain.” Further down, if you want your donation to be anonymous, you can click on the appropriate box.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca