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A mother and her son, who has Spina Bifida were living in a shelter. Just in time for the holidays, they got a small apartment. Because of the child’s special needs, the mother’s main wish was getting a special stroller for the child that will ease his transportation. They also required toys that would assist in developing his speech and in strengthening his muscles to support his body weight. The donors for this family were ISIS Corporate Interiors and their staff. The employees were very touched by the family’s situation and the company bought the family everything on their wish list. The company ordered a special stroller, which is not available in Canada from the United States. There were some issues at the border and "a lot of duty tax" was paid to get the item across the border but "it was worth it to get all the items for this mom" a company representative said. I had the privilege of dropping the items to their home. The mother wept in excitement and appreciation for all of the items that she received. She especially was pleased with the special stroller. The mother spoke to me from her heart about how the Christmas gifts impacted their lives and more importantly their quality of life.
— Nicola, CCAS Supervisor, Volunteer Services
Laura and her two children 8 and 10 yeas old respectively found refuge at a women’s shelter with nothing but a small bag of personal belongings. In the summer, the family moved into a new apartment and family and friends helped them with some furniture and clothing. The mother receives social assistance and is struggling month to month to get by. She is also taking courses to upgrade her skills to find a job. Laura was concerned about spending their first Christmas in their new apartment, unable to decorate and create the spirit of Christmas into her home, to which her children were accustomed to. Her social worker helped her enroll in the Adopt-a-Family program and this what she wrote to us:
“When I arrived at their home with the presents, Johnny, the older boy was so excited he began singing “it’s beginning to look a lot like gifts, from the children’s aid… (to the tune of ‘it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’). In my meeting with the children that day they told me that they were very excited about Christmas. Seeing all the bags and presents unloading from my car, Johnny was excited and couldn’t believe that he could keep the gifts he received, fearing someone will tell him it was delivered to the wrong address. To express their thanks, Johnny is drawing a beautiful picture for the family who had donated the gifts. The mother decided to get a frame for this picture and present it to the donor family as a token of their gratitude.”
— Beth, Social worker
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