Season of Giving: 12 Days of Prizes Calendar

One in three children in Canada experiences abuse by the age of 15, and in our community, it is no different. Whether you’re aware of it or not, the odds are that you know someone who was directly impacted by abuse or neglect as a child.

Thanks to the incredible grassroots advocacy and the fundraising support of our community, since 2020 Kelowna has been home to the Child Advocacy Centre (CAC): a one-intake facility with wrap-around services for survivors and their families – a safe place to tell, to heal, to feel like a kid again... for the one in three classmates, teammates, friends, and family members impacted by child abuse.

Given the statistics, the likelihood is that one in three adults reading this experienced abuse or neglect themselves during their childhood. Survivors already carry a burden they should not have to bear. Just as we do in our frontline work with children and families, we approach everything we do from a trauma-informed lens because that is what survivors deserve.

At the CAC, we cannot tell you the stories of the children who walk through our doors. Or rather, we won’t. They are actively surviving; their stories are their own to share when they are ready. “We can’t change what happened to them, but we have the opportunity to change what happens next,” says CAC Executive Director Ginny Becker. Last year, CAC served 667 children and caregivers impacted by abuse. Each year, the need grows.

And each year, we are deeply moved by the support of our community – people like you – whose support ensures the CAC is here for children and families in their time of need.

How you can help: When you purchase of a Season of Giving – 12 Days of Prizes Calendar, presented by Business Finders Canada, you participate directly in funding of the Child Advocacy Centre of Kelowna. “Since the prizes for the Calendar have been generously donated, your purchase goes directly to funding our work helping children and families heal,” continues Becker. “It really is a gift that gives back to the little ones who need it most,” ensuring that when a child arrives at the CAC, they receive everything they need to move forward with dignity:

• When they need a safe place to speak their truth, we are here to listen.

• When their favorite blanket is taken into evidence in an investigation, we replace it.

• When they need trauma counselling for their PTSD, we provide it.

• When their caregiver needs emotional support to be there for them in the wake of unimaginable news, we are here to help.

Your purchase of the 3rd Annual Sunrise Rotary Season of Giving – 12 Days of Prizes Calendar, you make all of this and so much more possible.

Calendars are $20 and available now through Dec. 17 OR until sold out.… you will have the chance to win some incredible prizes! Notable wins include a trip to anywhere WestJet flies, golf packages, a stay at Sparkling Hill, a Skylux luxury helicopter ride with mountaintop picnic, Save-On-Foods gift cards, cash prizes, restaurants, and much more. Buy your calendar here!

Prizes will be awarded from December 25 to January 5! Season of Giving Calanders are available as a raffle ticket at https://kelownasunriserotary.rafflenexus.com/a/cac-story.

Or you can purchase from any Save-On-Foods Store (West Kelowna, Glenmore, Orchard Plaza, Mission Plaza, Rutland, and Lake Country), the KGH Gift Shop and from any Sunrise Rotary member. Look for pop-up sales at Orchard Park Mall from Nov. 21 to 25 and Christmas Craft Fairs (Rotary Centre for the Arts Nov. 18-19, Prospera Place Holiday Market Dec. 1 to 3). Buy now so you are not disappointed!