SECC Christmas spirit plan benefits 44 families

By Abby Neufeld Dick

LEAMINGTON — There was a little something special under the Christmas trees of some refugee claimant families this year.

Due to the many challenges of the pandemic, from health issues to delayed work permits, many families have been unable to work.

The Leamington United Mennonite Church (LUMC) reached out to SECC Executive Director Carolyn Warkentin to hatch a plan on how to bring a little Christmas spirit to the homes of these families.

“Our goal was simple,” said Karen Marchand, Settlement Services Program Leader for SECC. “To provide each of the families with some unexpected holiday presents to be placed under the tree that would hopefully bring a smile or two during this year’s season.”

Settlement Services staff elves, Liliana Salazar and Adriana Arango, got to work right away and called each of the families to find out what was on each child’s wish list for Christmas.

SECC Settlement Worker, Adriana Arango, helps fill the SECC bus with gifts to be delivered.

Photo submitted

The response was generous and swift. Members of the Leamington United Mennonite Church, The Hasan Group – REMAX, CUPE Local 4523, UMEI Christian High School, and SECC Staff community all purchased gifts for the children and families.

They dropped off their neatly wrapped presents at SECC, Santa’s temporary headquarters in Leamington, just before Christmas.

The following day, the presents were loaded onto SECC buses and — along with the help of Santa’s elves — delivered to all the children and families on the wish list.

Due to the generosity of the community, each of these 44 families received gifts for their children, and grocery gift cards for adults.

“It’s the expressions of pure surprise and joy that we saw on the children’s and adults faces when we knew that we had brought a little bit of the Christmas spirit into their homes,” said Marchand.

One client was overjoyed that she would now be able to buy meat for a Christmas meal because of the grocery card.

It was obvious at that point that the mission was accomplished.

Besides the Leamington United Mennonite Church, SECC got help from The Hasan Group – REMAX, North Leamington United Mennonite Church, Scotiabank, Erie James, CUPE Local 4523, UMEI Christian High School, SECC Staff, as well as countless individual donors.