Hope’s Home is getting a massive boost this Christmas season thanks to a matching grant program from Affinity Credit Union.
The not-for-profit organization, which operates a daycare in addition to 24-hour beds for kids with complex medical needs in the care of social services, has been named the beneficiary of a program that will see all donations from now until Jan. 15 matched by the credit union, up to a total of $50,000.
To celebrate, Hope’s Home is having a celebration for the families that use the centre.
“We were trying to come up with something that would be fun for our kiddos and our families, so we’re having a Weiner roast in our front yard and I went out to the bush and chopped down a big old Christmas tree,” said regional fundraising manager Mickey MacGillivray.
“We’re going to light (the tree) up and have a fun night out here.”
MacGillivray said the matching program comes at a great time for Hope’s Home.
“Right now we’re going through a lot of renovations for our centre, adding more 24-hour beds because there’s such a high need in Prince Albert right now,” she said.
“Going from four beds to seven beds is huge. Renovations are not cheap so this will be a huge help for us.”
The kids who use the 24-hour beds receive extra support, such as 24-hour nursing care. They are then integrated right into the daycare with the other 90-or-so children who come Monday to Friday.
The new beds, MacGillivray said, “will help three more kiddos in P.A. and area just to have a safe place to be and have their medical needs looked after.
“We’re a fully-integrated centre,” she continued.
“Our building in the last year has seen some pretty huge changes with an old part being torn down and the inside renovated, all with the help of our community. This just helps to boost that and make sure we can do it properly, and that it’s a great place for kiddos to come, whether it’s during the day, or living here.”
Interested donors can visit hopeshome.org/donate to contribute online, or call MacGillivray at 306-960-7334.
“We’re very gracious to anybody who donates to Hope’s Home,” she said.
“As a non-profit, every little penny helps. When somebody comes up with this, especially at Christmas, it means a lot to us.”
