Kids’ faces lit up as they saw Santa, their laughter rang out as they catapulted through the bounce house and all ages enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate after winding their way through St. Paul on horse-drawn wagon rides in the snow.
The second annual Festival of Hope on Dec. 5 saw the Centennial Senior Citizens Centre packed with people coming out to take part in a variety of activities as part of a Christmas fundraiser for the St. Paul and District Crisis Association and its Columbus House of Hope, the local women’s shelter.
It always seemed as though there was something missing in St. Paul in terms of Christmas celebrations for the whole family, said Pat Ryning, who brought her three daughters to the event. Now, she knows the Festival of Hope offers games and crafts each of her kids can enjoy. “It fills that gap,” she said.
The horse-drawn wagon rides were particularly good, she added. “They’re fantastic. The kids went on it a few times.”
Noreen Cotton, executive director for the crisis association, was thrilled to see so many people come out to the free event, both to enjoy themselves and to learn about the crisis association and the services it provides.
“The purpose isn’t just to raise money but to raise awareness, and let families come and enjoy Christmas events at no cost,” she said. To her, the event was a success in seeing the kids smiling and laughing as they played at the event. “It just makes me feel so good.”
Although all the games, crafts, wagon rides and food were free, donations were accepted and people did bid on silent auction items available.
“We had tremendous support from the community for the silent auction,” said Cotton, adding that Joe Muchka and Kasy Linkewich with the Centennial Senior Citizens Opportunity Club were also instrumental in providing support for the event and throughout the day.
She was also thankful for the efforts of her staff, who volunteered their time and energy for the event. “We work on (the festival) for months,” she said, adding, “It’s a really good team-building experience”
