During the 12th annual Seniors Christmas Celebration held Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Civic Centre the host hopes those in attendance will feel a bond with their community.
"This is probably my favourite event of the year," Shirley Bond, MLA, who hosts the event, said. "The opportunity to celebrate with seniors in the community has been such an incredible thing."
It started with about 80 people in attendance 12 years ago and has now grown to accommodate about 900 for this year's event, Bond added.
"It is an unbelievably joyful event," she said. "So many seniors talk to me all year long about it and they start phoning early to register and I'm very much looking forward to it. I have to say without unbelievably generous sponsors from across the city this could not be possible. Canadian Tire is a major sponsor, we have River Bend, P. G. Hyrdo Mechanical, Royal LePage and the list goes on. These are generous sponsors and that's what makes it possible."
There are entertainers and gifts, refreshments and a visit from old St. Nick himself.
"It's a chance to give back in the community and I absolutely love it," Bond said.
It all started 12 years ago when Bond said she had aging parents that inspired her action.
"How do we make them feel as special as they are," Bond said. "So every year the number of volunteers increase, the sponsorship grows, and it's really about having seniors feel special - that's what matters to me."
Bond remembers the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre was very important to her parents who participated in the many activities offered there and that made them feel included and cared for in the broader community and capturing that feeling during the joyful event is the goal.
"There are seniors who don't have a network of friends and family that are here so this is the chance for many of them to be together," Bond said. "Having lost my parents and knowing how important that sense of broader community was to them that really inspired the first one. I still remember it because it was a very, very cold winter day and those seniors lined up to come have tea and be with one another, so I'll be praying for good weather so we can have a really wonderful celebration with hundreds of seniors from the community."
To register for the Seniors Christmas Celebration call 250-612-4181.
