Although it was our 15th workshop at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, this year’s Wrapping Weekend was everything but routine… Au contraire, with a record number of gifts and a shortage of volunteers on Saturday, the Little Elves had to call for reinforcements in order to finish the job within a reasonable timeframe.
Indeed, we had 4,906 gifts that needed to be wrapped and shipped by the end of an atypical Wrapping Weekend. Usually, the Saturday is a frenzy and the Sunday calm. The tables were turned this year as a dozen of volunteers failed to show up Saturday morning…
If these volunteers had let us know in advance, we could have replaced them in a timely fashion and avoided cold sweats. But with an extra 500 gifts to wrap compared with last year, many Saturday volunteers agreed to come back Sunday. They joined the regularly registered crew plus a bunch of family and friends we called in so that the weekend wouldn’t drag on too late.
At the finish, 221 volunteers took part in the Wrapping Weekend. Among them, three notable groups: Larochelle Groupe Conseil, Widows Sons, Steamatic. Thanks to them all, the wrapping itself ended by 4 PM and the clean-up ended at 5:30 PM.
Despite the added challenge, the wrapping took place as usual in good spirits & atmosphere, accompanied by the indefatigable René-Pierre at the piano, and with breaks for door prize draws.
Essential to the December 7, 8 & 9 weekend’s success : Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Jouets Choochoo, Paramount Paper, Groupe Robert, Kindersley Transport for their logistical support, as well as Carolle Piché-Burton, Le Gras Dur and Café Barista for the food & coffee that sustained our volunteers.
This fantastic Wrapping Weekend was made possible by fundraising efforts put forth throughout the year:
A bowling tournament, an artwork auction, a yard sale and our essential kiosk at Marché Jean-Talon were our fundraising tools. Open for 18 days, culminating with just one day with Santa Claus, the kiosk allowed us sell our nuts & candy and to talk about the Foundation’s mission. We owe an immense debt of gratitude towards the fantastic Marché des saveurs du Québec, our host at Marché Jean-Talon, and to Chez Nino, who stores the propane for the season.
We thank the numerous private and corporate donors (notably the Caisse de bienfaisance des employés et retraités du CN) who brought essential contributions to the 2018 campaign. Along with all of this year’s volunteer Elves, we collectively ensured that our gifts reached 54 organizations serving men, women and children affected by HIV-Aids from coast to coast.
May 2019 bring us health and continue the spirit of solidarity that characterized the end of the Elves’ 2018 campaign 🙂