MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT: VANCOUVER FIREFIGHTER
CHARITIES ANNOUNCES UPCOMING FESTIVE EVENTS
VFC and Partners Team Up for Charitable Events to Benefit
Local Kids, Families in Need During the Holiday Season
Vancouver Firefighter Charities (VFC) is getting into the holiday spirit and gearing up to make spirits bright this holiday season with events that set the stage for its 38th annual Christmas Wish Breakfast & Toy Drive at the Pan Pacific Hotel (#300-999 Canada Place) on Tues., Dec. 10th.
The feel-good holiday festivities begin Tues., Nov. 25 as the organization hosts its 3rd annual Wrap Day event and off-duty VFC members and volunteers gather at the Pan Pacific Hotel to wrap gifts and then deliver them to kids at a dozen different schools across the city of Vancouver.
The following week on Thurs., Dec. 4, VFC members will hit the streets from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to receive donations and toys from the public during a London Drugs Toy Drive at the Signature Granville (710 Granville St.) and West Broadway (525 West Broadway) locations. A brass band, antique fire engine will also be on site at the Granville location. Last year, the VFC and the two London Drugs stores were able to collect hundreds of toys and more than $50,000 in donations.
Both events serve as the lead-up to the big event of the holiday season for VFC when it hosts the 38th Annual Christmas Wish Breakfast & Toy Drive on Tues., Dec. 10th at the Pan Pacific Hotel as VFC — and Jolly Old Saint Nick himself — will gather in the lobby from 6 to 11 a.m. to accept unwrapped gifts and assemble already donated toys into a majestic Christmas tree-shaped mountain of gifts that will all be donated to families in need by the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau (LMCB). This includes a parade and cheque presentation set to begin at 8 a.m.
All those who donate toys on the day will enjoy a complimentary hot buffet breakfast provided by the Pan Pacific Hotel where they can meet and greet off-duty firefighters and share in the festive spirit while enjoying the parade, vintage fire trucks and a brass band playing classic Christmas songs.
The VFC and partner organizations that include the Lloyd and Elsie Campbell Foundation, the Vancouver Foundation, The Sports Exchange, London Drugs, the Pan Pacific Hotel, Rock 101 and Global News are aiming to surpass last year’s total of $226,299.64 worth of toys, gifts and sporting equipment that were gifted to local families via the LMCB through the VFC’s efforts.
Each year the VFC partners with the Lloyd & Elsie Campbell Foundation and the Vancouver Foundation to provide thousands of wrapped gifts to at-risk youth in the london Vancouver community. Presents are collected, packaged, and delivered by off-duty firefighters who both pledge funds through regular payroll donations and volunteer their time to help vulnerable children across the Lower Mainland experience the magic of the holiday season.
In addition to the above events, the VFC will also fill its sleigh this December with toys and sporting goods and deliver presents to kids ato fill its sleigh this December with toys and sporting goods and deliver presents to kids at BC Children’s Hospital, the province’s only dedicated facility providing general and specialized health care for seriously ill and injured children and youth in BC and Yukon.
Comprising hundreds of firefighters from halls located throughout Vancouver, VFC raises funds through its voluntary Payroll Donation program to help at-risk and in-need people of all ages not just during the holiday season but throughout the year. VFC members also pledge their time and funds to a number of programs including the BC Burn Fund, Snacks For Kids, Sports For Kids and Lifelines For Seniors, among others. VFC is composed of 900+ of Vancouver’s firefighters who volunteer off-duty to make our community a better place. Our firefighters have proudly built our own community-based programs; Snacks for Kids, Sports for Kids, Toys for Kids, and Lifelines for Seniors. These programs are proudly subsidized by Vancouver Firefighters’ generous donations made through our Payroll Donation Program, where our firefighters donate over $180,000 annually.
Members of the public are invited to learn more about the Toys for Kids program and contribute to this year’s campaign by visiting vancouverfirefighters
