Over the past number of years, my mother has been involved in Royal Le Page’s Annual Christmas Tree Fundraiser. She starts making chocolate trees or santas in October and people receive a chocolate after they purchase a gift for a guest at the Kelowna Women’s Shelter. During the last few office Christmas parties, my mom has been asked to share her heart on why she is involved in this gift giving undertaking and how it has changed her. Here is her story about how giving can increase our overall sense of wellness and give us a sense of purpose in some otherwise very difficult circumstances:
“My name is Shirley Froese. The shelter is very close to my heart. My mother cared for children for many years in our home. It started with me as a baby when I was adopted at the age of 2 and continued for 20 years after . She had a huge passion for children. Thinking back now to the hustle and bustle of our household, I don’t know how she did it, but she did. She had so much love to give.
Her motto was that no child in this world should go hungry, be abused or be alone. I remember a time that a police officer brought my mother a child, whose family was on welfare and could not afford to care for him. He held the baby under the arms, far away from him like he was afraid he was going to “catch” something. My mother took the baby out of his arms and said, “No baby ever deserves to be held like that! You hold that baby tight.”
Over the years and through places like the Women’s Shelter, little by little we are helping to change that. Woman in our communities are continuing to ask for help. The awareness for the need to continue to support such centers has come along way and for that I am thankful.
I have been to the shelter and have seen some of the children. I have also witnessed children who have been neglected and abused who came into our home. I have seen how they huddle together in fear. Moments like those broke my heart. I felt their fear and heartbreak by just looking into their sad, sweet eyes.
Kelowna Women’s Shelter has a Christmas party every year and the children get a little gift from us. Their eyes change and for a moment they can be a child again with no fear. That is the biggest blessing I could ever ask for. I love it how many people are so willing to give to a child. Maybe it’s because they can see their vulnerability. Perhaps it’s because they had been in the shelter or were abused or neglected themselves.
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest to you.” ~Mother Teresa
Today, I feel as though a part of my mother lives on in me when I continue to volunteer to gather gifts for the children at the shelter. She would take in a child, give them a bath, feed them, put on fresh clothing, hug them and keep them warm. It was the physical, no nonsense, practical things that ever child deserves. Thinking back to that gives me a great feeling to this day. I feel comfort. I feel a sense of belonging, of warmth and love. So to give back is the same feeling x 100.
That is why I volunteer.”
A special thank you to my mother who is always an inspiration, to myself and many others. If you are interested in donating to Royal le Page’s gift giving campaign for our local shelter, you can contact me through my website and we will direct you to the right place!
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