Winnipeg Hope in the City Kicks Off Christmas Giving Season With Support from the Winnipeg Advisory Board

The Winnipeg Hope in the City event on November 12 kicked off the Christmas season of giving. This would not have been possible without support and counsel from the Winnipeg Advisory Board who met following the occasion to engage in discussions regarding future events and recruiting new members.   

Held in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 300, the event featured guest speaker Milt Stegall, TSN analyst and former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and CFL All Star.

Guests were greeted with a grand entrance, featuring sparkling chandeliers, signage for the Impossible Choices Christmas campaign, a photo wall and seasonal music from the Heritage Park Temple brass band.

Manitoba’s Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville began the proceedings with greetings and a land acknowledgment, followed by blessings from Tracy Desjarlais, a member of the Piapot First Nation of Saskatchewan and Indigenous liaison specialist with The Salvation Army. The Manitoba Minister of Justice and Attorney General Matt Wiebe and City Councillor and Deputy Mayor Janice Lukes brought greetings from the province and city, respectively.

Additional members of the Manitoba legislature in attendance included the minister of housing, addictions and homelessness, the minister of advanced education and training, and Mayor Scott Gillingham.

Lt-Colonel Donald Bladen, divisional commander, Prairies and Northern Territories Division, acknowledged the financial challenges and hardships many families are facing and encouraged guests to consider those in need this season. He offered a prayer before the meal and posed with the guest speaker for the ceremonial first kettle donation alongside Major Rob Kerr, divisional secretary, Prairies and Northern Territories Division.

A running slideshow featured the year-round work of The Salvation Army in Winnipeg highlighting four corps, three social mission units and the city’s eight thrift stores as well as upcoming events and opportunities to get involved. The crowd was given a virtual tour of The Salvation Army Winnipeg Centre of Hope, Manitoba’s largest emergency and transitional housing facility. The video is available on YouTube.