Three families came to us and asked for help for the 2023 holidays, to make them a little more Merry and Bright, and you delivered! Many happy smiles were had by kids, teens and parents who received help from Blueridge Cares this year. There were so many people who came together – from Blueridge and beyond – to make Blueridge Cares a success, and they all deserve a round of applause!

• Eric Andersen – Our BCA President
• Ted Bancroft – Finances
• Mahnaz Fardghassemi – Social Media
• Barry Fenton – NV District support, personal donation and Community Contacts
• Carolann Fraenkel – Head Elf
• Cris Fraenkel – Master of the Backend tech stuff, general muscle
• Fariba Leilaby – Community Business Contact
• Jeff Powell – Website, Bulletin and general reminder help
• Jonathan Unrau – has a truck and a big heart

And we had very generous sponsorship from:

• Andrea MacFarlane for the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation
• Laura Woolam for Pink Plumbing
• Cathi Wetsch for Elderberries Child Care Centre, and all those that donated during their caroling event (photos included above)
• Stong’s Market
• Mount Seymour United Church
• District of North Vancouver – Maplewood Farm

Finally, over 30 neighbours donated in some way this year. They may have contributed cash, and/or purchased, wrapped and delivered gifts. These include:

• Barry and Marnie Armstrong
• Tina Brown
• Dena and Ryan Cheney
• Patti Davis
• Celina Dorame
• Jennifer Draper
• Mathé Grenier and Anthony Slowey
• Stephanie Griffith
• Marg and Al Isaac
• Diane Koch
• Jennifer Brun Moore
• Sophia Morris
• Mahtab Rae
• Elsbeth Turner and the Ladies of St. Simon’s Episcopal Church
• Plus 10 anonymous elves (some of us just like to be behind the scenes, you know who you are)
• 4 awesome helpers of the head elf who just wanted to help make someone’s holiday special: Julia, Sylvie, Jeremy and Ken

If you have ever wondered what a program like this can accomplish, this note makes it clear:

I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart of what you did for me and my small family. You have no idea how much I am grateful and overwhelmed at the generosity of our small community that we live in. It may not seem like a lot but I just want you to know that to me it made the world of difference for the holiday season. So once again thank you so much for me and my kids for everything. ❤️❤️🎁

It’s definitely hard as a single mum to keep up with the cost of living and getting by and this definitely helped. I appreciate it.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you nothing but the best for the new year.

Again, our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed, volunteered, or assisted in any way. This program is always a group effort, and it could not be done without you!