Image Credit: St. John's Ambulance

St. John Ambulance, Canada’s leading first aid and safety charity, today announced its innovative charitable holiday program to directly motivate people to be SET™ for Safety all while making a direct impact with seniors and children in BC and Yukon local communities.

“There are so many gift options out there for the holidays and studies show people are spending less and wanting more,” comments Sandy Gerber, Marketing Director at St. John Ambulance (B.C. and Yukon). “We really wanted to create something unique and inspiring; meaningful gift sets with a social purpose that impact our local communities.”

According to a 2014 BMO study, the average Canadian will spend about $1,517 over Christmas, the lowest holiday spend in three years.  In 2015, the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy produced the “What Canadian Donors Want” survey and reported results that Canadians are looking for a clear mission and evidence of impact; trust in the charitable sector is rising; fewer donors are giving, but amount of gifts are increasing.

“The What Canadian Donors Want report gives all of Canadians a reliable barometer of citizen impact on the work being done to advance communities and causes,” said Leah Eustace, chair of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy-Canada.  “But it also provides critical information to Canada’s charitable sector leaders about what motivates donors to be generous and the expectations donors have for solicitation and stewardship of their money.”

St. John Ambulance has created a limited quantity of six “GiftSETs”, each with a Therapy Dog plush toy “Joy” and a special purpose that directly supports children, seniors, pets, families and communities. By purchasing a Moment of Joy GiftSET, you contribute to a unique moment of joy to those who need it in the local community. The Seniors’ GiftSET provides 10 senior residents with a visit from the charity’s Therapy Dog program, the Community GiftSET outfits volunteer Medical First Responders with two first aid kits for community events and the Children’s GiftSET helps three children improve their reading skills by sitting with, and reading to, an attentive and non-judgmental Therapy Dog of the Paws 4 Stories team.

Since 1883, St. John Ambulance BC/Yukon has been dedicated to saving lives by providing first aid training and products that also generate funding for volunteers to provide valuable community care programs. Two of these programs are the Medical First Responders program, in which volunteers attend community events and provide lifesaving skills and the popular Therapy Dog program, in which volunteer dogs and handlers visit with the elderly and children to provide uplifting visits. In 2015 alone, more than 2,000+ volunteers helped save lives with first aid and CPR skills and consistently delivered a “Moment of Joy” to adults and children visited by the charity’s volunteer Therapy Dogs.

“Among our many charitable services, our Therapy Dog program is quite special in that it’s mostly based on engaging people and making them smile,” shares Leigh Ciurka, the charity’s Therapy Dog Coordinator. “It’s not just a moment of joy for the recipient of the stuffy – it’s a moment of joy for several other people who might really need it. The holidays can also be a difficult and emotional time for many people, especially if they’re feeling disconnected from loved ones.” 

Included with every Moment of Joy gift set is a Certificate of Impact to note the buyer’s unique social contribution. Click here to get SET™ with your special GiftSET this holiday season.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016