Martin C. Barry
Residents from Sainte-Dorothée and other Laval neighbourhoods got the opportunity on Sunday Dec. 7 to take their children to meet Santa Claus, while also donating toys and gifts for needy families to open Christmas morning.
Place of honour
A special place was set up for the jolly old man in red in the middle of the Place Publique public square in the middle of Vieux Sainte-Dorothée.
Children’s books in good condition were accepted as gifts. All the donated gifts would later be donated to community groups in Laval for distribution to the needy.
Lots of activities
In addition to meeting Santa, the children were also able to take part in creative arts activities, take a ride in a horse drawn sleigh, or even borrow a book from the City of Laval library as the Bibliomobile unit was there to facilitate withdrawals of books.
As well, members of the Cercle des fermières de Sainte-Dorothée, a more than 100-year-old service club for women that promotes artisan activities, presented handmade teddy bears to many of the children who came by that day.
A community event
The day was organized by a committee made up of members of Loisirs Sainte-Dorothée, the Cercle des fermières de Sainte-Dorothée, the Chevaliers de Colomb Sainte-Dorothée, the Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul de Sainte-Dorothée, the Chœur de Sainte-Dorothée and the Maison des jeunes de Sainte-Dorothée, in conjunction with the City of Laval.
“It’s around ten years we’ve been doing this,” said Pierre Côté, Grand Knight of the Chevaliers de Colomb Sainte-Dorothée. “We gather gifts for needy families. Santa Claus is here to meet everyone and hear what the children would like to receive for Christmas.
A gift for every kid
“We’re also serving hot chocolate with the Société Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, as well as coffee and sugar pie for those with a sweet tooth,” he added. “And every child receives a little souvenir from Santa Claus.”
Lianne Dufour of Sainte-Dorothée thought the event had been well thought-out by those who organized it. “This is truly an extraordinary event in that it is allowing children to come and give a gift that another child will be able to use. This is teaching them good values,” she said.
