Grinch Fund Party a Raging Success!!

Posted by Lisa Preston

December 17, 2007

In spite of a blinding snowstorm that started in the early morning hours, blanketing the landscape with inches of snow, the Grinch Fund Christmas Party held at the Hunter’s Horn in Whitby, Ontario was a smash hit!! 29 of the 32 children braved the weather to attend, and they all had a LOT of fun!!

The kids began by having a Christmas lunch with so much food!! Loads of great finger foods that the little ones could eat on the run, as they raced around looking at all the gifts… and the cake was HUGE!! Filled an entire tabletop…
Over and above the huge amount of cash donations collected both online and offline (in the neighbourhood of $20,000!!), there were OTHER notable donations as well…

The Police Retirees of Ontario Inc. really stepped up in a huge way and donated 32 bikes for the kids - and included safety helmets as well!! The staff spent a lot of hours assembling the bicycles, right up to last night. Every bike had a nametag, and the childrens’ eyes nearly popped out of their heads when they saw!!!

Many toys were donated, and each child received 4 gift-wrapped items and a huge stuffed animal, a big stocking filled with loads of goodies, brand new boots for winter (what a lucky day for it!!) and of course, their bikes. The children’s caregivers and parents who were there were all given a nice big turkey to take home as well, and they received a few small gifts for themselves.

A local art gallery provided a limited edition print, beautifully framed for a fundraiser and tickets have been sold to win this item - Santa made the draw, and the lucky fellow was Mr. Flood. He was extremely delighted with his good fortune.

There was so much going on, it was hard to keep track, but the best part was the kids. I don’t think any of them stopped smiling for a moment. It was so nice to see even the older ones get into the spirit of the day, sitting self-consciously on Santa’s knee and jingling bells… LOL!! Everyone really had a blast.

As the party wound down, a huge truck showed up in the middle of the blizzard - volunteers who offered to deliver the bikes and presents to the kid’s homes. What a marvelous couple of guys they were to brave the weather for this!! I was simply astounded by the generosity shown by everyone today.

As many of you are aware, I made the attempt to broadcast the event, and managed to record a few clips for your enjoyment… You can view them here:

Grinch Fund Christmas Party Video Clips

Be kind… it was my first attemp! at video, and was constrained by limited technology!

As you’ll see in those videos, several media people were there, and I did a quick search to see if I could find the latest news stories at the Toronto Sun and the Toronto Star websites, but they haven’t been posted yet… I’ll update this post when I have the links available.

To all of you at the Warrior Forum, the Blake Forum and assorted blogs and emails sent to lists all over the internet marketing community… I can’t thank you enough for your support and love in both promoting and donating to this amazing event. Because of your generosity, even more children were able to have Christmas, and this unexpected success with online fundraising has opened the eyes of the Powers That Be to possibilities for next year and beyond.

I absolutely love Christmas, and everything it stands for. And you have all been so wonderful, there are no words to express the pride I feel in our community. I hope and pray that all of you have an absolutely marvelous Christmas season and a very successful 2008.

God Bless!!

Lisa