OTTAWA, November 12, 2024 – The Vanier Museopark, in partnership with the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE), the St-Laurent branch of DeSerres stores , and the Vanier Community Service Centre (Vanier CSC), is proud to present the 3rd edition of Creating Christmas Magic, which will take place on Sunday, December 8, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre and the Vanier Sugar Shack (300 des Pères Blancs Ave.).
Creating Christmas Magic is a community and family celebration that collects new, unwrapped toys, gift cards and monetary donations for Vanier children and families in need.
Solidarity + Generosity = Christmas magic for all!
“For the past two years, we’ve been deeply touched by the extent of our community’s solidarity during our new toy drive,” says Madeleine Meilleur, Executive Director of the Vanier Museopark. Thanks to everyone’s mobilization, over 500 gifts and nearly $11,000 in monetary donations were collected. This year, we are once again counting on the generosity of the community to keep on bringing the magic of Christmas to the children of families attending the Partage Vanier Food Bank during the holiday season.”
“The drastic increase in the cost of living over the past few years continues to be felt in many Canadian households, including here in Vanier,” reports Renée Aird, Coordinator, Vanier Social Pediatrics and Clinique Bien grandir at Vanier CSC. The growing demand felt at the Partage Vanier Food Bank and the multiple housing-related issues experienced by the clients of the Vanier Social Pediatrics place enormous financial stress on families. Thanks to Creating Christmas Magic, we will be able to give gifts to the children of a hundred families, enabling them to celebrate Christmas the way they would like to.”
“At a time when caring and compassion take on their full meaning, the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est is honoured to support the Creating Christmas Magic initiative for a third consecutive year,” says Marc Bertrand, Director of Education at CECCE. Together, we hope to bring cheer and happiness to warm the hearts and brighten the holiday season of those who need it most.”
A community gathering celebrating the joy of giving
It’s in a festive atmosphere of goodwill that the people of the community will be able to hand out their new toys. They’ll enter the workshop of Santa’s elves, who are already busy preparing magical moments for Vanier families. Here, young and old alike will discover lots of different stations, from gift sorting to wrapping and Christmas card making, all while being wrapped up in holiday music.
New this year: the Christmas story time will be presented by Lire et faire lire Ontario, an organization whose mission is to promote and support intergenerational reading activities by volunteers aged 50+ for children in Ontario’s Francophone and Francophile communities.
The Vanier Sugar Shack will once again welcome Santa Claus, and children will be able to meet him, have their photo taken with him, all while sharing some Christmas gift ideas. Free hot chocolate and coffee will be served at the sugar shack, courtesy of Starbucks.
The event will close on a festive note, as we will welcome Franco-Ontarian singer-songwriter (and proud Vanier native) Céleste Lévis for a free musical performance featuring several songs from her Christmas album. Do not miss it: it starts at 1 p.m. in the Kiwanis Hall of the Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre. This will be followed by the unveiling of donations collected by event partners around 1:45 p.m.
Several boxes to collect your donations
Those who are unable to attend this community celebration, but would still like to take part in Creating Christmas Magic, can make a monetary donation online (by visiting the event website) or by dropping off new, unwrapped toys in donation boxes at the following locations:
The Vanier Museopark, CECCE, DeSerres and CSC Vanier are committed to bringing the magic of the holiday season to Vanier families in need. To do this, we’re counting on you – help us create the magic of Christmas!
Visit the event website at museoparc.ca for details or to make a donation. All donations are accepted, and we’re so grateful because every child should be able to celebrate Christmas.
About the Vanier Museopark
The Vanier Museopark is a non-profit organization in the heart of Vanier, a working-class district near downtown Ottawa, which celebrates the community’s rich heritage and history. Through exhibitions, talks, workshops, school programs, and interpretive tours, the Vanier Museopark helps curious people of all ages and cultures discover and learn about the habits and customs of the local Francophone community. It is Ottawa’s only French-language museum and one of the few Canadian museums devoted entirely to the Francophone community outside Quebec. The Vanier Museopark operates an authentic sugar shack in the heart of an urban maple forest, the only one of its kind in the world. It also hosts the Sugar Festival, an annual event that promotes maple syrup culture, showcases Franco-Ontarian and Indigenous artists, and is a hugely popular family activity. Proud of its roots, the Vanier Museopark has been a fixture of the community since it was founded in 2004. www.museoparc.ca
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For more information, pictures, video, interview requests or questions, please contact:
Annick Normand
Communications and Marketing Manager, Vanier Museopark
communication@museoparc.ca