Local companies open windows to giving this Christmas

Sunday 25 December 2016

Reverse Advent Calendars were all the rage this Christmas and led to hundreds of presents being given to local charities.

Companies including RBC Wealth Management and JT encouraged their staff to donate gifts to those less fortunate.

The idea behind the Reverse Advent Calendar was that people donated things like toiletries, baking equipment, nappies, books, tins of food and toys to a box every day until there were 25 items to give to charity. 

JT employees were busy filling their boxes with items needed by The Shelter Trust in Jersey, St Julian’s House in Guernsey and The Community Food Bank in Croydon while RBC Wealth Management's presents helped wrap up Christmas for charities including Fostering and Adoption, Caring Cooks, Brig y Don, Grace Trust, Shelter Trust, FOJO, The JSPCA, Jersey Youth Service, Jersey Women's Refuge, Age Concern and Greyhound Rescue Jersey.

JT's Deputy Managing Director in Guernsey Tamara O'Brien said: "The holiday season is a time when most people's thoughts turn to being with those you love and sharing gifts. But for some, the season may bring feelings of despair rather than joy. JT are committed to supporting our local community, and through our reverse advent calendar initiative, we want to join together as a community.” 

RBC Wealth Management's Senior Manager Carly Williams suggested the initiative in her office.

She said: "I saw this concept on Facebook when someone posted a description. It seemed such a simple but powerful idea that we all felt this would be a great initiative for i-CARE, our employee-led community support and networking group within RBC Wealth Management.

"I don’t think any of us knew just how much impact the calendar would have. We invited our colleagues to donate a present but the number of gifts has staggered us all. We now have well in excess of 600 presents to give away this year to 10 charities in the Island."

The objectives for i-CARE include providing a community of support and connecting RBC employees with resources that support building self-care skills and capabilities. 

Mrs Williams who is also one of the Co-Chairs of i-CARE said: "At this time of year it has been especially moving to have received so much support from RBC and our colleagues. We know that Christmas can be a very challenging time for many in Jersey and to be involved in this project has been personally, very rewarding."