November 22, 2011. It’s a cold, windy, rainy night in Richmond. You wouldn’t blame somebody for wanting to stay at home and curl up with a good book, waiting for the storm to pass. Quite frankly, you’d expect it. Then again, this is Richmond we’re talking about. A little bad weather wasn’t going to dampen the spirits of the 140+ volunteers who showed up at the Richmond Auto Mall to take part in the 8th Annual Windows of Hope fundraiser. The event is held in support of the Richmond Christmas Fund, and this year's edition was the most successful yet. Volunteer writer Amanda Oye was there to take in the sights and sounds of what has become one of the highlights of the holiday season.

A sure sign that holiday spirit is alive and well in Richmond is when a vast range of community groups, from local businesses to secondary schools, come together to help out a common cause.

On Nov. 22nd, 18 teams of community groups gathered at the Richmond Auto Mall for the 8th Annual Windows of Hope event, which raised a record-breaking $20,000 for the Richmond Christmas Fund.

For the Auto Mall, the event is about “helping Richmond families in need,” said Gail Terry, General Manager of the Richmond Auto Mall Association. “And the need sure is great right now.”

To raise the money, the dealerships at the mall give donations to have volunteers come by and paint their windows with holiday cheer. The dealerships also collect further donations from their suppliers and supporters.

 

Thumbs up for a job well done!

The event has grown tremendously from its first year, thanks in a large part to the partnership that developed between the Auto Mall and Volunteer Richmond. “That’s made all of the difference in the world,” said Terry.

Along with the Richmond Auto Mall, sponsors who made the event possible include The Richmond Review, Chevron, HUB International and Murchie’s.

And then there were the 140 amazing volunteers who took the time to come out to help paint this year.

For their efforts they were entered into a draw to win prizes from sponsors, including a $25 gift card for Chevron and a pair of Vancouver Giants tickets, and were treated to a pizza dinner and other snacks.

 

Windows of Hope volunteers take a look inside their gift bags.

 

While being treated so well was a definite bonus to participating in the event, the biggest benefit the volunteers received was knowing that they were helping people in need.

“It’s a great charity event,” said Caryn Barbosa, who was volunteering with Ashton Service Group. “Knowing that we are giving back is nice.”

The students in McMath Secondary School’s Human Services course, taught by DiAnne Simonson, couldn’t agree more. “Volunteering is good for us,” said Stav Gamiel-Komar, a grade 12 student. “It gets us out in the community and makes us more aware of things going on around us.”

 

Volunteers went to great lengths (and heights!) to make car dealerships' windows look as festive as possibe.

For many of the volunteers this was not their first time out. “It’s one of those events we look forward to every year,” said Mary Kemmis, publisher of the Richmond Review. “It’s a wonderful team building event.”

Delta Hotel’s volunteer committee, Delta Helps, has also been participating for multiple years. “This is one we love so we keep doing it,” said Sheri-Lynn Walker.

While the event has come and gone, the windows will remain painted until Jan. 2nd, and donations are still being accepted online at christmasfund.volunteerrichmond.ca.

Click here to view more photos from Windows of Hope.