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Thanks to Gibson Energy for a
Generous Donation and a Great Night!
For the 17th year in a row, teddies were tossed on December 4 at the Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss Game. DDRC clients and staff were in the thick of the fray thanks to Gibson Energy's generous donation of 80 seats to the DDRC.
Although the Hitmen did not win the game, everyone had a great time and 25,303 bears landed on the ice after the Hitmen's first goal to be distributed to multiple local charities.
The DDRC would like to send a big thanks to Gibson Energy for making this fantastic event accessible to our staff and clients. Helping children in need while also enjoying a great game at the Calgary Saddledome makes for an awesome Sunday night!
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25, 303 Stuffed toys were thrown onto the ice for this year's Teddy Bear Toss! |
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Annual Holiday Open House Festive Fun for Everyone!
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Guests enjoy the festive atmosphere at the Holiday Open House. |
Every year at the DDRC we open our doors in December to celebrate the season with our Holiday Open House, and 2011 was no different! This year on December 8, over 200 people came by to see what the event was all about.
Guests enjoyed a selection of delicious free food and festive entertainment. Wraps, hors d'oeuvres, and desserts were distributed at tables around the room for guests to sample; we even had a popcorn machine operated by our very own IT manager and expert popcorn maker, Marg Tomlin! Karaoke and a visit from Santa kept guests occupied when they weren't busy mingling with friends, clients, staff and coworkers.
The gym was decorated from pillar to post with trees, wall hangings, and a special corner for Santa complete with moving- light up reindeer!
Before guests began to depart, organizers drew the winners of our three door prizes: two mugs with a pound of coffee, each donated by our local Starbucks, and a $25 gift certificate donated by Ella Jewelry.
Thanks to everyone who came out on the day, and to our volunteers who helped to make this year's party a blast!
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Client Marketplace Gives
Entrepreneurs a Place to Shine
This year the DDRC added a new feature to our annual Holiday Open House, the Client Marketplace, to give our more entrepreneurial clients the chance to showcase their work for staff, clients and friends of the DDRC to see.
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Bernita and her
cookbook collection. |
We had three participants in our marketplace this year: Roma exhibited some of her artwork, Mary Dawn sold her paintings and cards, and Bernita sold her self-published cookbooks.
I had a chance to catch up with Bernita after the event to see what she thought of the Holiday Open House and the Client Marketplace this year.
Bernita has been an inspiration to many at the DDRC this year with her hard-working attitude and passion for her micro business. With the help of her Community Resource Worker (CRW) Olena Nolte, Bernita has produced three cookbooks and continues to promote them in the community.
When asked if she enjoyed this year's Holiday Open House, Bernita replied emphatically: "of course!" The Holiday Open House was a great place to sell Bernita's books, as they make great Christmas presents and Bernita says that she and Olena "sold a lot." In keeping with Bernita's love of spicy food, Bernita's advises that when it comes to holiday entertaining, "spicy food is good for the cold."
We look forward to seeing more of Bernita's business in the New Year.
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