Spread the cheer all year

Why it’s important to give back after the holidays

There are many organizations asking the community to give back during the holiday season. The London Knights host a teddy bear toss for the Salvation Army, where stuffed animals are donated to children. Businesses and schools collect as many non-perishable food items as they can to make sure no one is hungry for their holiday feasts. Some people ask for gift givers to send donations to organizations in lieu of presents.

However, once the clock reaches midnight on Dec. 31, and a new year approaches, it seems like we don’t think about giving back as much. That being said, there are still people who need help and some groups at Fanshawe College think about giving back to the community all year round.

Why do people focus on giving back during the holidays?

Kelsey Schachow, the president of the Fanshawe Rotaract Club, said people don’t usually think about giving back after the holidays. “Christmas is the stereotype of the time to give back, and that’s about it I find,” Schachow said.

Amy Romao, the coordinator of The Sharing Shop, said the holidays can be a busy time for everyone “with more demand for family time and perhaps travel time. It is very easy to get caught up in the commercialized trappings of the holidays. One way to carry over the sentiment of Christmas is to embrace giving back to the community to which you belong to,” Romao said.

She added that more people make donations during the holidays, rather than after the holidays. She noticed that some ways people give back are inspired by New Year’s resolutions.

For example, The Sharing Shop will receive many “unused boxed stuffing and gravy”, along with cookies, chocolates and candy because many people pledge to eat healthy in the new year.

However, Schachow said it’s important to give back during any time of the year.

“It’s not just about giving back to the community. It’s about finding yourself and who you are too,” she said. “You’re just building the relationships and you are always continuously giving back because your community will not give up on you, if you don’t give up on it.”

Aaron Henderson, the president of the Fanshawe Lions Club, agreed. “There are many individuals and families that can benefit from people giving back 365 days of the year,” he said.

How to give back to your community.

Making a difference in someone’s life can be done any time of year, and Schachow said it can be as simple as volunteering or donating. She points to many organizations in London, such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Ontario Lung Association and many others.

Henderson also suggested volunteering with clubs that focus on reaching out to the community and helping those in need, such as the Rotaract Club and the Lions Club.

Some organizations team up to help those in need. Schachow said the group pairs with the Rotaract Club at Western University for the Day of Giving event.

“We go into different segments of the community, where the elderly people are located. We’ll go to their homes and visit them and help them with daily tasks, just because we can.”

She said they would clean, walk dogs, hang curtains and “anything they just aren’t able to do in their daily lives last year.”

Schachow added that while the clubs would travel to different locations around London, they would help out senior residents living in the Cherryhill Village area.

Others help out the same organization during different parts of the year. Henderson said the Lions Club had a fundraising ladies apparel sale, where the proceeds go towards the Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre. He added they will continue to help with the organization by hosting events and fundraisers throughout the year.

“In the past, the Fanshawe Lions Club has raised money for 500 children’s books that were donated to the Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre,” Henderson said.

He added the club adopted Farnsborough Park, which is located in northeast London. Members of the Fanshawe Lions Club will do many tasks to make sure the park is clean for everyone to enjoy, including getting rid of graffiti, and weeding along the fence.

Another way to give back is to help fellow Falcons in need. Romao said The Sharing Shop always wants to recruit volunteers throughout the year. She said students can also organize a canned food drive for the on-campus food bank, and staff can donate non-perishable food items on Casual Fridays.

The Sharing Shop also runs a Share-O-Gram program, where people eating at Oasis can donate one dollar to the shop. The organization does a similar program in November, where people donate money to the FSU Movember Campaign and write their names on a paper mustache.

Students who are interested in volunteering for The Sharing Shop can visit fsu.ca/thesharingshop, and those who are interested in getting involved with the Rotaract Club, Lions Club or any other club can check out fsu.ca/clubs.