For many people in Yellowknife, the holiday season is a joyful time filled with family gatherings.
Some organizations in the city decided to join forces last week to host a party to help some families celebrate.
The YWCA, Yellowknife Women Society’s Family Connection Program and the NWT Health and Social Services Authority’s Healthy Family Program, hosted a Christmas party for families with children ages zero to six on Tuesday at the Baker Centre.
The day featured a bouncy castle, a bowling alley, and a music corner for everyone to enjoy. Some of the activities included making ornaments, decorating cookies, playing guitar, and participating in a scavenger hunt. Santa Claus even made an appearance for photos.
“We decided to do this while we still have families in town and the programs are targeted for families with children, so especially zero to four year olds not being in school, it just gives them something to do during the day,” said Brendan Hancock, the team lead for the family and youth programs at the YWCA. “We all contribute in many different ways. We don’t have to break the bank on three separate parties, and we can do one big one and bring it all together.”
And he is looking forward to hosting more event like this in the future.
Monika Rani, family program coordinator at the women’s society, a program running under YKWS said that this was the first time all three groups got together to host a Christmas event.
She said the day was a great opportunity for the families to interact with each other and have fun.
“We thought it would be beneficial, so why not do that together?,” she said.
