Christmas Bureau
F ire Hall Number 2 in downtown Edmonton is a flurry of activity on most days. On one particular November day, however, the action was off the charts. Members of the community – including media and corporate sponsors like ATB Financial – were engaged in an intense gingerbread house decorating competition. The event marked the official kickoff to the 2010 Edmonton Christmas Bureau campaign.
"They really come prepared to decorate this silly little house," said Christmas Bureau Executive Director Wendy Batty. "It's a bit competitive but it's fun. Most importantly, they're here to get engaged and get the message out."
What's that message? The Christmas Bureau's mandate is to provide a festive meal for families in need – something the organization has been doing for 70 years. This past holiday season, 70,000 Edmontonians asked for the Christmas Bureau's help.
"The beauty of the Christmas Bureau is it's a one-stop shop," Batty explained. "You fill out one application form for access to services from all of our partners. For example Santa's Anonymous and Adopt-a-Teen are separate charities but they use our database. We help reduce duplication of services in our community, which is important for our donors to know."
ATB Financial has been partners with the Christmas Bureau for 13 years, raising nearly $400,000 in the process. ATB's Regional Vice-President, Edmonton Region, Kim Irving sits on the Christmas Bureau board of directors.
"Personally, it's a way to give back," Irving noted. "I can use my leadership role to make people more aware of what we're doing. Of course, ATB is an organization that's so strongly supportive of community that it's a natural fit to work with the Christmas Bureau."
This year, ATB branches raised $45,000 for the Christmas Bureau by encouraging customers to donate. In return, branches hung tree ornaments in honour of each donation. ATB associates also volunteered their time to help in many ways, like wrapping gifts with Santa's Anonymous or holding their own fundraising activities.
"The wonderful thing about ATB is their associates engage their clients to be part of the process," Batty pointed out. "I know ATB does that in other Alberta communities. They become part of the fabric of their community."
As for ATB's gingerbread house decorating skills? That's another story. "We wanted to take a different approach with our house," Irving chuckled. "Our objective was to actually eat part of the house. The roof is partly eaten. One of our team members ate one of the arms off of Santa. It's all for a good cause and that's the main thing."
