While many kids look forward to running down the stairs on Dec. 25 to see what Santa left under the tree, Christmas morning is typically far from festive for Barrie’s homeless youth.
That’s why officials at Youth Haven in Barrie are again preparing to launch the annual Boxes of Hope fundraiser. To date, it has raised more than $200,000 since it was first launched approximately seven years ago, said executive director Lucy Gowers.
“That speaks volumes about the community we live in. We live in a caring community, we live in a giving community and everything we are able to do is because of our community,” she told BarrieToday.
“We want to thank our community for their generous and ongoing support of everything that Youth Haven does," Gowers added. "We want to encourage our community to continue to support us because what we have been doing as a community and as an agency has been really transformative.”
Youth Haven has been “changing lives” of the young people who come through the doors seeking help since 1987, she said.
“We can really see the difference we are making,” Gowers added. “(The community) makes it possible.”
The goal for this year’s campaign has been set at $70,000.
“A few years ago we wanted to make sure that all our youth felt like they belonged," she said. "We wanted to ensure they had a chance to celebrate Christmas like everybody else. We wanted them to be part of our community and part of our home so we reached out to the community in the hope they’d consider purchasing a box for $50."
Each box contains “a promise of three nourishing meals a day, the embrace of a warm bed, a winter survival kit, unwavering support, counselling, and heartfelt gifts beneath our Christmas tree,” explains the shelter website.
“When we first launched it, we raised a few thousand dollars and thought this is a really great idea and decided to continue to do it," Gowers said. "The support we get from the community inspires hope. When one of our youth knows there are people out there that truly support and believe in them, then they are able to do so much for themselves and create positive outcomes for themselves.”
The shelter can house 19 youth and the facility often takes in additional youth over the holidays, Gowers said.
“I would say we probably had over 25 that stayed here at the shelter and were here on Christmas Day last year, but we also support 15 youth in our transitional housing … and over 300 youth within the outreach program we provide throughout the county,” she said.
“These kids don’t have a home to go to on Christmas Day. We want to be able to provide them with that safe, secure place they can feel that they are at home," Gowers added. "We want to provide them with everything (a parent) would want to provide for their children.
"They just need someone to listen to them and encourage them to be the best they can be.”
For more information on Boxes of Hope, click here.
