Staff members at Foothills Lodge recently collected and donated 235 items, including toys, toiletries and cash to Sundre's Santa's Anonymous program.
Santa's Anonymous is a program that provides for less fortunate Sundre families and individuals during the Christmas season.
The fundraising initiative was part of a Mountain View Seniors' Housing (MVSH) wide challenge, and lodges in Olds, Carstairs and Didsbury participated and donated to local organizations as well.
It was the first time MVSH staff members participated in the challenge, and according to volunteer coordinator Anita Lobe, it could become an annual event.
“Donating feels good and giving feels good and puts a smile on your face,” said Lobe.
“It was wonderful. Everybody kind of embraced it and really thought it was a great challenge.”
Staff members at Foothills Lodge chose to donate to Santa's Anonymous because they believe it is a valuable program in the community.
“We knew that during the holidays there's always families in need or seniors in need and we wanted to help those people,” she said.
In total, MVSH staff members collected 2,671 items and $880 in cash to donate to local charities within Mountain View County.
“We challenged our staff at all four MVSH lodges and the administration office to see which location could get the most donations for local charities,” she said.
The administration team in Olds won the challenge, and along with donations collected by staff at the Mount View Lodge in Olds, the items collected were donated to the Olds and District Christmas Angels Society.
Staff members at Chinook Winds Lodge in Carstairs donated to the Carstairs Lions Club and Didsbury's Aspen Ridge Lodge staff members donated to the Christmas Helpers.
She said it's important for MVSH staff members to be involved in their communities.
“Mountain View Seniors' Housing is here for the community. The people that we donate to are part of our community,” she said, adding she is grateful for all of the donations collected.
“We do things to give back to the people that actually made our towns. So the seniors that live in our facilities are the reason why we do it.”
