Dilico Anishinabek Family Care looking to fulfill Christmas wishes for children in need
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Dilico Anishinabek Family Care launched its 12th Annual Christmas Wish campaign on Nov. 18 with new options for contributions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“In order to just ensure everybody’s safety, we’ve changed the format in how our community members can participate,” says Tina Bobinski, acting director of Mental Health and Addiction Services at Dilico. “We have three options: one, community members who wish to participate can sponsor a bag in the amount of either $50 or $100 [and] we will have our Christmas elves here at Dilico take the donation and purchase items for the kids’ Christmas Wish bags.”
The second option enables people to sign up online to request their own Christmas Wish profile.
“Our elves will send you details of what to put in the bag for a particular child or youth,” Bobinski says. “And then you go shop, fill the bag and then deliver it back to our Dilico Heath Park site.”
The third option enables people to pick up their Christmas Wish bag to fill and return at the Starbucks at Arthur Street Marketplace, 1165 Arthur St. W.
“There is still a tremendous need in our communities for [the children and youth],” Bobinski says. “We want to make sure despite the dampening COVID-19 has brought on our communities that we’re still seeing this tradition carried forward and we’re ensuring every child receives a gift this year.”
Bobinski says more than 6,000 Christmas Wish bags have been filled and distributed to children and youth since the campaign began in 2008.
“Our goal this year is to fill 600 bags,” Bobinski says. “Every year we increase [our goal] a little bit. Our community is really getting familiar with this campaign and there is lots of excitement in the community and participation from individuals and businesses and organizations to really jump on board and have a strong community effort to get Christmas Wish bags to kids in need.”
Bobinski says there has been an “incredible” response from the community about the Christmas Wish campaign over the years.
“We’re very proud of our community in terms of their value in making sure our vulnerable children receive something at Christmas, something that is personalized to them, that provides essential items, toys, books, clothing, learning tools and things that the kids wished for at Christmastime,” Bobinski says. “So it really does bring a lot of joy to our children and a lot of joy to the community to be able to do this together.”
Bobinski says Redwood Park Church, which has been participating in the Christmas Wish campaign for the past five years, has committed to filling 175 bags.
“That is awesome,” Bobinski says. “I just want to say miigwech to Redwood Park Church as well as Starbucks on Arthur Street for assisting in the campaign.”
Darcia Borg, executive director at Dilico, says Dilico hopes to see the tradition continue on for many years.
“These wish bags bring so much joy to children in our community,” Borg says. “Let’s help our families end the year on a brighter note and make hundreds of Christmas wishes come true. I think we all need to embrace that Christmas spirit right now and give a message of hope.”
John Dixon, director of Child Welfare at Dilico, says times have changed but the need has not.
“We understand that Christmas can be a really stressful time for families, especially this year,” Dixon says. “We are calling on the community to help make this holiday season brighter for children on Christmas morning.”