Annual Holiday Gift and Giving Campaign Kick’s Off

Welcome to the holiday season and please join Flamborough Connects as it launches the annual Holiday Gift and Giving Campaign to support vulnerable seniors in community.

Together we will provide gifts for seniors, who may go without during the holidays, and raise much-needed funds to support Flamborough Connects’ senior programming throughout the year.

In 2021, with the help of generous donors, Flamborough Connects delivered gifts and Amica baskets to more than 80 local seniors. Their holiday wish lists included everything from grocery gift cards to winter coats.

If you would like to support a local senior and purchase items to make their holiday more joyful — we’ll match you up. We are delighted that the team at F-45 Waterdown is joining us again this year to collect gifts and bring joy to isolated seniors.

Flamborough Connects is also seeking donations to help ensure our seniors-focused programs run all-year-round.

The free Wheel of Fitness gentle exercise program resumed in four rural locations and one virtual. Close to 100 rural seniors are registered for this program — designed to help them stay fit, active, independent and in their homes.

Our free, senior educational series included topics on driving, arthritis, employment and financial planning with 161 seniors registered throughout 2022.

The annual free income tax program facilitated over 200 tax returns and put almost $650,000 in refunds and benefits back into the pockets of Flamborough residents. Seventy per cent of those clients are low-income seniors.

As of Oct. 31, Flamborough Connects facilitated over 240 drives and shopping deliveries — including free food bank deliveries for vulnerable rural seniors. Even with the generous support of the Rockton Lions Club, Flamborough Connects still relies on donations to cover the increasing costs for our dedicated volunteer drivers.

Flamborough Connects needs your help. Donations over $20 are eligible for a charitable tax receipt and go directly to supporting Flamborough Connects’ seniors programs — including the Holiday Gift and Giving program.

You can donate online at flamboroughconnects.ca/holiday-gift-program, in person at 163 Dundas St. East, by mail to PO Box 240 Waterdown, L0R 2H0 and by e-transfer to admin@flamboroughconnects.ca. For more information, please call 905-689-7880.

Amelia Steinbring is the executive director of Flamborough Connects. She can be reached at 905-689-7880 or amelia@flamboroughconnects.ca.