The spirit of the season is alive and well! With Christmas nearing, many organizations are donating their time and effort to fundraising activities. The Central Alberta REALTORS® Association (CARA) is no exception.
With only two weeks notice, CARA members put together eight teams to participate in the ‘Smiles for Kids Toyraiser’ event. The teams put forth a designated amount of their own money to shop for two hours and compete for prizes in various categories. As the teams arrived back from their shopping sprees toting bag after bag of toys, the excitement grew. More toys means more smiles for more children Christmas morning!
Through the Toyraiser, CARA members donated over $2,300 in toys and monetary donations for the Red Deer Christmas Bureau, with 214 individual toys collected for deserving children! That’s a lot of smiles!
Given the Toyraiser’s success, CARA eagerly anticipates an even bigger outcome next year and look forward to making it an annual CARA event.
Last year, the Red Deer Christmas Bureau provided 968 children with toys and, of those families with children, 946 were provided with Christmas food hampers. The Bureau also provides baby baskets to new mothers, as well as artificial Christmas trees and ornaments to families in need.
