No child should go without a toy to open on Christmas morning, at least thatB次元官网网址檚 the belief of the Westshore Christmas Hamper toy room volunteers and the South Vancouver Island Rangers.
Every year the Rangers arrive just in time to help fill the toy room and help make childrenB次元官网网址檚 dreams come true, said toy room co-ordinator, Karen Birtwistle.
B次元官网网址淭heir efforts are amazing and selfless,B次元官网网址� she said.
This year was no exception and on Saturday, members of the Langford-based outdoor recreation club dropped off a load of toys Birtwistle said was big enough to overfill 10 shopping carts and enough to finish stocking the shelves in time for the hamper distribution, which began on Monday.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 like to see kids go without B次元官网网址� We would do more if we could,B次元官网网址� said Greg Gilbert, a Rangers board director whoB次元官网网址檚 been co-ordinating the clubB次元官网网址檚 toy drive for over a decade. B次元官网网址淓ach year it gets a little bigger.B次元官网网址�
Some years the club starts collecting at the beginning of October; some years it starts a little later. Gilbert joked that the timing usually comes down to when he has time to start harassing fellow members. He likes to give them a hard time about spending money on rifles, so theyB次元官网网址檒l generally donate a few extra dollars for toys.
GilbertB次元官网网址檚 daughter volunteers to take the money raised and turn it into toys. B次元官网网址淪he gets her girlfriends together and they go shopping,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey try to make the dollars stretch.B次元官网网址�
The RangersB次元官网网址� generosity can be overwhelming. One club member handed Gilbert a large cash donation to purchase toys, then showed up the next day with several toys in hand as well.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the kind of people Rangers are,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his year they really came together.B次元官网网址�
The Rangers are a private club, located in Langford since 1947. It was originally created after WWII by retiring local members of the disbanded Pacific Coast Militia Rangers and begun as an emergency service. Now with a 130 members (and a wait list to join) the group is a social, trap and skeet shooting club that focuses on outdoor recreation.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com
