Four Sask. players named to Canada world junior hockey championship team
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For 50 years, Santas Anonymous has been ensuring no kid goes without a present at Christmas.
Jackie Christianson knows how important that is — she was once a recipient.
“The program makes sure everyone has joy one day. One day out of the year, there is something there for them, something to look forward to,” Christianson explained.
“I’m 57 so it is dating back a lot of years so there wasn’t organizations like that around. (It’s great) just knowing, especially depending on the age of the child, that someone — a Santa — cares.”
All these years later, Christianson is making sure she gives back.
As president of CUPE Local 3766, she and her team know full well the impact on a child when they have nothing at this time of year.
Christianson represents 600 members, all of whom are support workers for Regina Public Schools.
“We try and find organizations that help children because that is who we service — children and schools. Nothing is more heartbreaking than knowing some of the children that you work with will not have anything to open up at Christmas. Every child deserves something to open,” Christianson said.
The entire unit fills two barrels of toys and Christianson said this year hasn’t been any different despite some challenges.
“I am humbled by the amount of giving our members do. I know that we don’t have much because we have been without a collective agreement for three years now. We haven’t had a pay raise in four (years), our members don’t have a lot of money, but we still manage to find ways to help children outside of that box,” Christianson explained.
“We manage to fill two barrels every single year and this year I thought would be difficult because we’re going into our fourth year without our pay raise. Yet, nope, we have filled the two barrels.”
The local unit also donates warm clothing for a community school each year to ensure the most vulnerable children in Regina are taken care of.
The toys donated by CUPE and many others in the community will be wrapped during the big Santas Anonymous wrap day at the Regina Food Bank. It’s set for Dec. 14 at 8 a.m.