UPDATE: the 2020 Christmas Mission
Help Santa deliver to children who may not have a fixed address by donating a NEW, UNWRAPPED gift to the Christmas Mission.
UPDATE on November 26th: Reps from the Mission, my coworkers and I have all been talking, trying to see if we can make Project: Christmas Mission work this year but it isn’t an option with new COVID-19 restrictions. The Ottawa Mission is even doing dinner service differently. Like Thanksgiving, the dining room will not be used.
“Because of our new food truck service, which will serve Christmas meals the week leading up to Christmas in addition to our Christmas meals for shelter guests and vulnerable community members, we anticipate that we will serve 3,500-4,000 Christmas meals from December 13 – 20.
Frozen turkey donations can be dropped off between 7 am – 5 pm at the garage entrance to The Ottawa Mission at the corner of Waller and Besserer. Please ring the bell and a staffperson will arrive to receive your donation.”
- Aileen Leo, Director of Communications at the Ottawa Mission
If you would like to donate online to the Mission, CLICK HERE.
Do you want to buy a toy for a little one in need?
I definitely have some options!
You can donate to the Salvation Army’s Toy Mountain 2020 fund by CLICKING HERE.
You can also give to CHEO’s Child Life Fund through my annual Birthday Wish campaign by CLICKING HERE. 100% of funds go towards buying games, toys, books, crafting kits, movies & other forms of entertainment (for patients aged 0-18) who may be spending the holidays in hospital.
If you have any questions about how to help this holiday season, please feel free to message me. Thank you for considering others! It just feels better to extend your hands to help lift others up, than it does to hold them down.
Same person (me) but a different radio station now (CHEZ 106) & a new way of approaching my Christmas Mission… I haven’t strategized anything just yet. Essentially, I ask for NEW toy donations for children of all ages to be given to the Ottawa Mission. Children experiencing homelessness can be sure to get something - even if Santa couldn’t find their address! There is a ‘gift room’ at the Mission where clients can ‘shop’ for their loved ones.
Gifts aren’t what Christmas is all about. Or birthdays. Or whatever. It’s not material things that mean the most to us… but over the holidays, it’s a simple gestures for some to provide a token of ‘brighter days’ to a child.
That’s what the Christmas Mission is all about. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and it’s been a success because of your generosity.
This year, I am not able to accept in person donations. Parcels cannot be directed to our radio station either as we do not have an open reception area. I’m not sure how to go about collecting toys but I hope to sort out the fine details over the next few weeks.
Please, stay tuned! And if you have a great idea, get in touch.
Christmas Mission: 2019
Help bring cheer to children who attend the Ottawa Mission’s Christmas Dinner service on Sunday, December 22nd, by bringing a new (in it’s original packaging) gift to the Rogers Radio Building at 2001 Thurston Drive, Monday to Friday from 9AM to 5PM.
Sometimes Santa isn’t able to bring children in our community presents because they don’t have a fixed address. Let’s help Santa out, like many of you did last year, by delivering gifts to kids who slipped through the cracks.
Families come together at the Ottawa Mission each holiday season for a warm meal and togetherness. It’s an eye opener to experience the magic that happens during Christmas Dinner Service and, for me, I’m particularly moved to see babies giggling, children smiling and teens spending that quality time with their loved ones…
To commemorate the occasion, wouldn’t it be cool for the little ones to have something physical to hang on to? A gift. JUST for them. Shiny. New. On their Wish List that Santa maybe didn’t see?
Here are some pictures and posts from last year’s Christmas toy drive for our friends at the Mission.
If you’d like to arrange for a KiSS Studio tour when you make your donation, please get in touch with me (Amy Volume) directly to set up an exact date & time.
Bring in a NEW toy, book or treat to 2001 Thurston Dr., weekdays from 9AM to 5PM on or before Friday, December 20th.
If you are unable to physically drop something off and you would like to donate - please ship to:
Amy Volume’s Christmas Mission
c/o KiSS 105.3, Rogers Radio
2001 Thurston Drive, Ottawa
K1G 6C9
Throwback Santa Pics!
Here are some pics of me & Santa over the years... I'm guessing most of these are from the late 80s and early 90s though I didn't look at the exact dates. Looks like I've always been pretty down with the man in red!
