Another Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays

Another Christmas blessing in the Kootenays

CandaceStanleythe owner of Beautiful Moments, started a local cause three years ago to give back to the community.

The Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays originally started as a thank you to the local community from local businesses to say thank you by helping local businesses get through the pandemic. However, since she realized the community has needed her every year as the economy has hit many families hard since the pandemic.

Candace reaches out to Pages Book Emporium, The Choice Shop, and Bumble Tree to see if they can help her with her grocery lists each year. These companies, along with their Beautiful Moments store, buy gifts for 100 children at cost, opening on Christmas morning.

To pay the costs involved, Candace raises funds through local businesses, organizations and individuals through sponsorships, an online auction and other events. She tries to give every company the opportunity to help as much as they can afford, be it money for sponsorships or donations for online auctions. It costs $75 per child to cover the cost of one child’s hoodie, toy/game, book, meal, candy and more hosiery.

This year, Domino’s Pizza kindly donated each child’s meal certificate and Nutters donated all the candy for the stocking fillers. Also this year, most of the applications for the children came from District 5 staffers who, whenever possible, made applications for each child in the family to ensure no one was left out.

Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays ended with 105 applications this year, with an attempt to limit the number to 100 due to uncertainty about funding as more people suffered from higher fuel prices and food costs.

Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays was able to deliver all 105 bags to schools last week, filled with three high-quality, new branded gifts, a stocking full of stuffers and a greeting card that reads ‘Love, Your Community’.

These 315 gifts were individually wrapped by some local gymnasts, Candace’s family and other supporters.

The goal of Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays is to bring love, joy and hope to our community by helping 100 children and their families have a brighter Christmas morning.

Christmas Blessing in the Kootenay’s has given out 327 Christmas Blessing Tote Bags over the past three years.

Candace would like to thank our amazing and supportive community as Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays couldn’t make this possible without the support of every single part of our community. She would also like to thank her husband Don, daughter Chailyn and son Kavan who support this cause every year, volunteer long hours and are very understanding of the priority.

If anyone has questions or wants to learn more there is a FB page, Christmas Blessing in the Kootenays, or contact Candace at Beautiful Moments.

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