The second annual Columbus House of Hope’s Christmas season celebration, called the Festival of Hope, promises to be bigger and better than last year. There will be horse and wagon rides, a visit from Santa and a variety of activity tables at the event, which will be held on Dec. 5 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Centennial Seniors Centre in St. Paul.
Candina Wosminity, supervisor with the Columbus House of Hope, said that her children attended last year’s festival and “had a blast because they could run around from table to table, getting treats and visiting Santa.”
She recalled watching the excitement on the faces of the children last year put her in the festive spirit. “Just to see the excitement on their little faces, I thought … this is Christmas.”
This year, there will be face painting, Christmas crafts such as cookie decorating, children’s games, bouncy houses and a visit from Santa but one of the most popular attractions is sure to be the horse-drawn wagon rides.
There are three reasons for hosting the event, explained Noreen Cotton, executive director for the Columbus House of Hope, but the most important is to raise awareness about the local women’s shelter and the services it offers.
“We have been here since 1994 but some people still don’t know that we are here,” said Cotton.
Another reason is to offer families in the community a chance to attend a family celebration free of charge. There will be coffee, juice, hot chocolate and beef on a bun available at no cost. The staff of the shelter volunteer their time to the event.
The third reason to host the Festival of Hope is to raise some additional funds for the crisis centre, as donations will be accepted and there will be silent auction items available for bidding.
“The business community has been very supportive, donating some excellent quality items for the silent auction,” said Cotton.
The crisis centre is hoping to hold the event every year on the first Sunday in December at the Centennial Senior Citizens Centre.
