A Gimli girl who started an Ornaments for Oww-ies fundraiser several years ago to help children in the hospital raised $600 this year during her 7th annual event, and saw the donation tripled by an anonymous donor.
Ruby, who’s a member of the Kiwanis-led Terrific Kids Club at Sigurbjorg Stefansson Early School and who had help from her friends to make Christmas tree ornaments, wound up with an $1,800 donation for the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, as well as additional funds for the Gimli and Selkirk hospitals.
Ruby’s mom, Stephanie, said the family is so proud of her and her brother for their willingness and initiative to help other kids and the local community.
“We’re extremely proud. Both of our kids love helping others. And it’s amazing to watch them take ownership and see other kids get involved and want to help others,” said Stephanie.
An anonymous donor through the Children’s Hospital’s annual Giving Tuesday event tripled the $600 donation to $1,800, said Stephanie.
“And Ruby also has $150 for the Selkirk hospital and $150 to buy stuffies for the Gimli ambulance,” she said. “When kids are taken by ambulance to the hospital, the paramedics have little stuffies for them.”
This year Ruby made ornaments using cookie cutters, and she and her friends in Terrific Kids made over 100 painted wooded ornaments. They got to set up a table at the New Iceland Heritage Museum’s Christmas Craft Market a few weeks ago after Gimli resident Elva Sigmundsson stepped in to sponsor the cost of the table.
Commercial fisher Kevin Palson, whose daughter Anna is in Terrific Kids, donated Christmas trees that the kids sold in addition to the ornaments they made.
“Kevin cut some trees and put them in wooden bases with a hole where people can water the tree,” said Stephanie, “and the kids were able to sell those as well.”
