With the holiday season fast approaching, one Kingston family is once again working to ensure children in need receive toys under the tree.
For the third consecutive year, the Venus family is collecting empty bottles and selling wristbands as part of their Venus Family Toy Box Initiative.
“I love knowing that we’re helping people that wouldn’t know what we’ve done to help,” Mike Venus said.
The initiative began with the family collecting bottles, raising just over $2,500 in its first year to purchase toys for donation. Now in its third year, the effort has grown to include selling wristbands to reach even more donors.
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“It’s progressed over the years that we’ve incorporated more stuff, like we sell our fancy bracelets now,” Mike said.
The wristbands have also provided a way for individuals who don’t drink or are in recovery to participate.
“Especially for those who are recovering or don’t drink, that was our positive solution,” Sarah Venus added.
With less than two weeks left in November, the family is making a final push to collect as many empties and sell as many bracelets as possible.
“The boys wanted to sell 100 bracelets in their last month before announcing their goal, and that was kind of the main idea,” Sarah said.
The family plans to announce their total fundraising efforts on Dec. 1, followed by a toy shopping spree. The culmination of their work will take place on Dec. 12, when they deliver the toys to the Cataraqui Mall’s Toy Box.
“December 12th, we’re going to head down to the Cataraqui Mall and donate all the toys to the Toy Box that’s there,” Sarah said.
The Venus family is eager to see how their initiative continues to grow, with hopes of inspiring more community involvement in the Greater Kingston area.
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