This Christmas, 150 clients of Lambton Elderly Outreach (LEO) will open a bag with gifts and a handmade card.
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It’s part of a long-running agency tradition to provide Christmas joy to clients who may not be celebrating with family or friends.
“It’s clients that are living alone and may not have the support needed, especially during the holidays,” said LEO’s Amy Weiler. “No one should feel left out or alone.”
Staff select recipients from the roughly 1,800 clients of the non-profit agency, which provides transportation, meals on wheels, in-home support and social programs across Lambton County for those over 60, and adults with disabilities.
Weiler, chief executive Lisa Regan and volunteer co-ordinator Della Croxford visited Sarnia’s St. Anne Catholic elementary Friday, where pupils made handmade cards for the gift program. It’s the second year the school has been involved.
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Teacher Amanda Bouma’s Grade 4-5 class also organized a drive that collected 473 gift items donated by school families.
“I just think it’s important for the kids to learn about giving to others over Christmas,” she said.
The pupils made morning announcements about the appeal, collected items from the classrooms and sorted them.
“They did a good job,” Bouma said.
LEO sent the school a list of the types of gift items it was looking for, she said.
“It’s a bag of lots of different goodies,” was all Weiler would say, explaining they want it to remain a surprise.
“We’ve had excellent community involvement this year,” she said.
LEO received proceeds from sale of smile cookies at Tim Hortons in Plympton-Wyoming, plus donations from a retired teachers’ group, the medicine team at Bluewater Health, a local quilters’ group and others, she said.
Others in the community also made cards for the project, including a local family that gets together each year to create them, Weiler said.
The number of clients receiving gifts this year is up from 90 last Christmas and the agency will be dropping the bags and cards at their doors, she said.
“I remember last year we had such positive feedback from the clients,” Regan said. “Some got emotional from the cards.”
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