LangleyAdvance Your community newspaper since 1931
Thursday, December 26, 2013 Breaking news, sports, and entertainment: www.langleyadvance.com
Audited circulation: 40,026 – 20 pages
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Just before they got down to work, the volunteers of the Langley Christmas Bureau Toy Depot gathered to mark the occasion. Needy families were able to go to the Toy Depot Dec. 16, 17, or 18 to obtain Christmas gifts for their children as well as books and other festive goodies. Still more volunteers help with other Christmas bureau duties. *Most vehicles. Valid only at Langley location. See store for details. Taxes & Environmental Fees extra. Offer expires January 26, 2014
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Langley Christmas Bureau
Meet Santa’s army of elves in Langley The Langley Christmas Bureau has wrapped up its work for another holiday season. by Heather Colpitts hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com
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2013 was a sad anniversary of sorts. This marks year 40 for the Langley Christmas Bureau. That’s four decades of people showing their generosity to ensure that the children of Langley who just happen to be in needy families don’t go without Christmas presents. That’s four decades of demand, a demand that’s not going away, no matter which government is in office. Preliminary figures show the bureau helped 779 families this Christmas season, that’s 1,750 children. “This is a drop of 29 families from last year but is still above the five year average,” said cochair Leigh Castron. The Langley Christmas Bureau works with agencies throughout the community to ensure that the public’s generosity goes to those
who are truly struggling. Of the 779 families 385 were City residents and 394 were Township residents,” she said. “Our satellite registration office in Aldergrove has been very beneficial to the Aldergrove families.” Christmas bureau enrolments were down through Langley’s inner city schools, a key reason for the decline in numbers. Last year the bureau helped about 1,800 children and 29 more families.
“We have also noted that some schools and churches are independently sponsoring families within their congregations or classrooms and we work with them so as not to double up,” Castron explained. The Langley Christmas Bureau enjoys a broad base of support within the community. “Our Gifts for Kids tree in the Willowbrook mall was very successful again receiving many toys and cash donations and the cit-
Groups hold special campaigns to support the bureau. The Langley Lions Club stopped with $9,000, the proceeds from the 2012 Christmas Kettle campaign. On hand to make the presentation to Christmas Bureau co-coordinator Jim McGregor (in green) were Dave Coppin, Charles Erasmus, Mel Stokes, club president Laura Denobriga, Irene Stokes and Rhonda Buchanan. They had their kettles out this year and will donate the funds in 2014.
izens and businesses of our community have been overwhelming with their support organizing fundraisers, toy drives, donating thousands of toys and providing buildings for our registration offices and toy depot,” she said. This year the bureau operated out of the Coast Capital insurance building on Fraser Highway and had its Toy Depot in the former Fields store on 203rd Street. From November until about a week before Christmas, the bureau is busy collecting donations and accepting applications from Langley families. Then the goodies are handed out a week before Christmas and the whole operation shuts down until the next holiday season. Langley has one of the few Christmas bureaus that is entirely volunteer run. Head duties are split between Leigh Castron and Jim McGregor and they are the first to tell you that their jobs are made manageable by a cadre of volunteers who return each year. “Our amazing volunteers have taken a couple of well earned days off and will now start to prepare for their own family Christmas,” Castron added.