Columnists

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Love your neighbours and love yourself

By: Steve Lyons / Sports Editor

Posted: 11/24/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

A friend recently told me how she felt after receiving aid from the Christmas Cheer Board several years ago. She recalled being surprised, but very grateful, that someone cared.

The food and presents in a hamper from the Cheer Board are tangible. But, it's the intangibles that perhaps mean just as much to those receiving support.

I read a book once where the author outlined the seven conditions of love. He said that people felt love when they were accepted, that they belonged; that they felt cared for, defended, supported, safe and special.

Receiving help from the Cheer Board seems to fulfil many, if not all, of those conditions.

The food feeds their stomachs. The gesture feeds their spirit.

"The fact that some one even cares is sort of strange to some of them," Cheer Board chief Kai Madsen said this week. "It might say to them 'Yeah, we do belong.'

"People on the fringe can feel that perhaps they are not alone."

Madsen and his crew of volunteers are already busy getting ready for the hamper campaign. A total of 19,609 hampers were presented last year and Madsen said he expects the number to be about the same this season.

Approximately 5,000 volunteers are involved with the Cheer Board campaign. From retired pensioners to busloads of school children. They also get to enjoy the fruits of the spirit.

"They also get to have that same sense of community as the people receiving the hampers," Madsen explains. "We all can feel more part of the community, the more we are involved with helping our community."

You can also share in that feeling.

Hamper deliveries will commence on Dec. 10. If you wish to help with the deliveries, you can contact the Cheer Board at 204-989-5680.

Here in the sports department, we are also looking to help with our annual Spirit of Christmas campaign.

According to our records, through our columns in the paper and your donations, we raised $135,583.01 last year. Thanks again for your generosity. I hope that you will feel moved to join us in the spirit again this year.

We will publish our first list of donations in next Saturday's paper.

Please send your donations to The Spirit of Christmas, c/o Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6.

steve.lyons@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 24, 2012 C1

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Columnists

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.