Small Gestures Change Lives

Happy New Year to all! We hope you have a wonderful year, better than your last, and wish you all lots of love going into 2015. May your wishes come true and your family be healthy. Thanks for all your support last year! More great stuff to come from us in 2015 - Possibly even another street team series ;) Stay tuned!

Our last Christmas Hamper was officially delivered today by the Student Global Health and Wellness Club at Algonquin College! This group did an outstanding job providing for a family in need in the Ottawa area. Ms. Paul had this to say about today's experience: "I just wanted to take the time to thank Small Gestures Change Lives and The Student Global Health and Wellness Club from Algonquin College for sponsoring myself and my kids this Christmas. Thank you very much and hope... you all have a Merry Christmas!!!!" Mrs. Paul, on behalf of Algonquin College and SGCL, it was our sincere pleasure! Well, that officially wraps up our Christmas Hamper Program with us at SGCL. Thank you to everyone who made a donation, and thanks to everyone for your support! We couldn't have done it without you. Happy Holidays!

Delivery day! Here are a number of shots from our Christmas hamper delivery's today. We dropped off two hampers to our touchpoint, who is going to further these hamper's to the families in need tomorrow afternoon. The amount of stuff we managed to purchase/collect was incredible! We nearly had our touchpoint in tears. Thank you so very much to everyone who made a donation to make this happen! We couldn't have done it without you. Thanks to the people of Ottawa, two strugglin...g family's will have full cupboards, a Christmas dinner, a stocking to open on Christmas morning, as well as approximately 6 gifts each. We are so lucky to be part of such an amazing and generous community! We have only one more hamper to deliver tomorrow afternoon, and then it's time to relax with some hot chocolate, and celebrate the holidays with our wonderful families. Life is good!

Here's a feel-good Christmas story for you; feel free to give it a share: Earlier this month, Travis Troughton and the variety council at Carelton University reached out to our group at Small Gestures Change Lives and asked us if we could help them find a family to support with a Christmas Hamper this year. We gladly reached out to our resources and found them a struggling family in the Ottawa area. From there, they took the lead and this is what they managed to come up with ...in a little under a month. It is people like this that bring us joy in life. They have successfully sought out all of these wonderful donations and prepared them to be transported this weekend to a family in need. We take no credit in this incredible act of kindness. They have blown us away with they're ambition to help others within our community. Travis, Jason, and his group at Carleton have successfully supported an entire family this Christmas with gifts, non-perishable food items, a Christmas dinner, and any items pertaining to monthly expenses the family might incur in the following months. Talk about inspiring! On behalf of SGCL and the community of Ottawa, we would like to say thank you to everyone who was involved in this initiative. You have indefinitely changed many lives with your gift of generosity this year. It's acts of kindness like this that make us proud to call ourselves citizens of Ottawa. Congratulations on a job well done! Please stay posted for more photo's regarding other hamper's we have made a contribution to, including one from the Student Global Health and Wellness Club at Algonquin College, and one that we have personally organized through Small Gestures Change Lives.

Has a stranger ever helped you at Christmas with no expectation of return? How did that make you feel? Surely, you promised yourself that one day, if you had the chance, you would repay the favor. Well, here's your chance! Please make a donation to help a family in need this Christmas. Big or small, any donation given to our Christmas Hamper Program will go a long way in putting a smile on the faces of several struggling families in the city of Ottawa this year. Please conta...ct our page to make a donation, or contact Roger, our Christmas Hamper Program representative, using the information listed below. Thanks in advance! Roger Collins SGCL's Christmas Hamper Program Representative [email protected] 613.869.4750

Update: December 1st! We have approximately 3 weeks until we deliver our Christmas Hamper to our family. The support we have received so far has been excellent and, because our city is so awesome, we know that we will continue to receive a great amount of support from the people of Ottawa. We are still looking for:... Boy, 10 - New pants, size 14-16, Shirts small/medium w/ gift receipt Boy, 14 - New pants, size 32, Shirts medium/large w/ gift receipt Mother - New pants, size 7/8, shirts medium This family is in need of the necessities - dish soap, toothpaste, non-perishable food items, shampoo, etc. Essentially anything that would save this single mother some money in the long run. We are also looking for any gifts related to sports, and anything a pair of brothers aged 10 and 14 would enjoy. Cash donations are also gratefully accepted and will go towards the purchase of stockings, stocking stuffers, a traditional dinner, and any gifts and items mentioned above. If you'd like to make a donation, please message us or get in contact with Roger, using the contact information below. Roger Collins [email protected] 613.869.4750