How YOU Helped Spread Christmas Cheer with REST Centres

Merry Christmas to you from the REST Centres team! 

Every year, the magic of Christmas fills the air as families and friends come together to share the warmth of the season and exchange heartfelt gifts. The joy of giving and receiving during this time is truly special, creating cherished memories that last a lifetime.  

However, for many of REST Centres' young clients, the holiday season can be a stark contrast. These resilient youth face challenges most of us can't imagine, and for some, this will be another Christmas without the love and joy they deserve. 

This holiday season, the REST Centres community came together for the fourth year in a row to bring Christmas cheer to homeless and housing-insecure youth in Peel Region. Thanks to your tremendous support, we brought the holiday spirit to 52 youth in need!  

Our Christmas Cheer Campaign was a resounding success. With the generous support of our community, stakeholders, staff, and partners, we raised more than $5300 to give gifts, celebration, and stability this holiday season. We were further amazed when Alectra Utilities purchased over 30 wished-for gifts by our clients. Fellow non-profit Good to be Good donated thermal pajamas, thermal pants, hats, blankets, and hygiene products for every participating client, and thanks to another non-profit partner, Black North Initiative, we gave 13 laptops to our clients with more to spare for the new year. 

Your generosity helped REST Centres give winter gear, baby supplies, cookware, art supplies, skateboards, beauty and skincare products, home décor, stationary, gift cards, and more!  

With so many gifts, we needed all the helping hands we could get! Leading up to the big day, REST Centres hosted a gift-wrapping event. Nine dedicated volunteers from TD Canada Trust came to our office to get everything beautifully wrapped! 

Our campaign ended with the REST Centres Christmas Cheer celebration, a fun night of giving, laughter, food, and festivities. Kennedy Road Church hosted REST Centres for the second year in a row, supporting us with a venue, decorations, and a wonderful team of volunteers dedicated to our cause. Our Christmas feast was generously supported by Gems House of Jerk - Airport Road, Xaymaca Restaurant - Kennedy Road, Baker's Jerk House - Sunnyvale Gate, Calypso Hut - Queen Street, and Portland Jerk - Torbram Road. We served turkey, jerk chicken, pasta, stuffing, coleslaw, fried rice, and more! 

We cannot put into words how excited, grateful, and touched our clients were to receive your generosity… so, we let them do it! Check out this website dedicated to our youth expressing their gratitude to our stunning donors, along with some other exciting highlights from Christmas Cheer. 

We would like to thank CTV and Global News for featuring our campaign and event! Check out what REST client Ali Midoryia and REST’s Director of Youth Engagement Romaine Redman had to say about the holiday season, Christmas Cheer, and how REST strives to make a difference! 

On behalf of REST Centres and its Board of Directors, we are forever grateful to all the moving hands that came together to make Christmas Cheer 2023 possible. This campaign would not have been possible without your generosity and support. We would like to thank all of our Donors, corporate sponsors, Community Partners, volunteers, and staff for making the 2023 Christmas Cheer Campaign a huge success.