Family & Children's Services Tree of Hope

Dec 04, 2014

Hundreds of children in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington will have a Christmas present this holiday season thanks to the Tree of Hope campaign. The toy drive and fundraising campaign is now underway across the region.

“The Tree of Hope is one of the oldest Christmas appeals in Southeastern Ontario,” said Steve Woodman, Executive Director of Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, which runs the Tree of Hope campaign. “We’ve been running a Christmas appeal of one kind or another since we were created 120 years ago.”

Last year, The Tree of Hope helped nearly 900 children with Christmas presents. Already, even before the launch, the campaign has matched nearly 650 children. More toys are needed, but so, too are gifts of money.

“We’re asking people to go online and make a donation to our Enrichment Fund, which can support these kids all year round with activities that they need. Toys are nice, but the best Christmas present people can give is something that will help our kids all year round,” said Woodman.

Last year, the Enrichment Fund spent nearly $15,000 sending kids to camp, paying for activities and helping them with things they required for school. This year, the campaign is also asking for donations of new baby cribs with mattresses. The agency needs up to ten cribs for deserving families with newborns. They must be new, used cribs are not required.

Information about buying a toy and making a donation is available online at www.HelpTreeOfHope.ca or by calling Family and Children’s Services at (613) 545-3227. People can also support the campaign by using the hashtag #HOPEYGK on their social media.