It’s always better to give than to receive, especially when the gift is $1,000 worth of toys for Island children who may not otherwise have something waiting under the tree on Christmas Day.
Teaming up with the CFAX Santas Anonymous and local retailer Buddies Toys, the Island Savings division of First West Credit Union asked local children to help test the bank’s new technology to buy Christmas gifts for other local children with just a tap of their wrist.
“Giving to someone else really is the best gift of all,” says Bronwyn Dunbar, leader of Island Savings’ community investment program.
Last week, six children aged two to nine each received a Dashband – a wearable, reloadable payment accessory that uses tap technology to pay instead of PIN numbers. Their mission was to spend $1,000 on toys at the Oak Bay Avenue’s Buddies Toys for delivery to Santas Anonymous headquarters that same night.
“CFAX’s annual Santa’s Anonymous toy drive does amazing work getting families across Greater Victoria involved in spreading the holiday spirit to children of all ages,” Dunbar says.
Local production company Media One caught the shopping spree on film, turning the event into a positive holiday message in support of the non-profit’s larger toy drive efforts.
“Nothing quite says happy holidays like the look of excitement on a kid’s face at Christmas – the children in this fantastic video are proof of that,” says Christine Hewitt, executive director of the Santas Anonymous Society.
“Our annual toy drive is only as successful as the efforts of our community partners and so we’re incredibly grateful for this generous donation from Island Savings.”
For more information about Santas Anonymous, visit cfaxsantas.com.
editor@oakbaynews.com