It seems like yesterday we were putting up our Halloween decorations, but now the holiday season is just around the corner.
The 46th annual Help Santa Toy Parade will be taking over Ottawa’s downtown core on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. Nearly 100,000 people from all over the National Capital region and beyond typically come out to celebrate the holiday fun with floats, marching bands, concerts and more.
What’s new this year? The National Arts Centre announced that it will be participating for the first time. The English Theatre will be teaming up with Cundell John Stables to promote their holiday performance of Anne and Gilbert, which runs from Dec 1-19
“We thought it was a natural fit,” said Sean Fitzpatrick, Communications Officer of the English Theatre. “It’s one of those things that we hadn’t been able to do before, and it was great, especially when you have a program that works for both adults and children.” They will have people dressed up as the main characters being pulled by the horse carriage.
More importantly, the parade acts as a charity event, collecting toys and cash donations that are distributed to less-fortunate children of the area. Under-privileged families in the area must apply and meet certain criteria to receive the toys, which are distributed by the Salvation Army Thrift Store and Toy Mountain. The parade was started in 1968 by local businessman and radio personality, Lowell Green. It became very popular, and Green quickly realized he couldn’t run the event on his own.
“That’s when the Ottawa Firefighters Association stepped in,” says Emma Turpin, co-chair of the parade. Turpin has been volunteering on the committee for the past eight years and is responsible for the logistics of the event. The firefighters’ union then became responsible for sponsorship and donations from members and the public. They cover a large portion of the costs including permits, donating trucks and volunteers.
It can be a bit difficult to get people to donate because people don’t necessarily carry cash on them like they used to in the 90’s, she adds. This is one of the challenges and goals for the recent years that requires some creativity. She says she has found making use of online platforms such as PayPal to be effective for donations. In addition, it’s important to reach out to large corporations, asking them to sponsor the event. Turpin says this is where the majority of their funding comes from, and it’s important to gain support from new businesses each year.
Because of these initiatives, there has been an increase in donations in recent years. In 2014, the total amount raised was nearly $30,000, which was used directly to help families give their children a Christmas they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
“It’s nice that they don’t have to try to decide between ‘do I get this type of food’ or ‘do I spend it on a great Christmas for them?’ We don’t make them make that choice,” says Turpin.
The parade will take the same route as last, beginning where the Ottawa River Pkwy turns into Wellington St, continuing East to Bank St, ending at the intersection of Laurier Ave and Elgin St. OC Transpo buses that travel through the area will be suspended and re-routed during the parade, which usually takes about seventy-five minutes to run its course.
New and used toys can be donated to the Salvation Army Thrift Stores, or any Ottawa Fire Station until mid-December. Donations can be made before or during the parade.