Mother-and-son duo Skylar and Landon Boyd embraced the season of togetherness at the Niagara Regional Native Centre on Saturday, enjoying an afternoon of gifts, photos with Santa Claus and time well spent with their community.
“This is my first time attending one of the Native Centre programs,” said Skylar Boyd. “It was actually my son who wanted to come. He saw it on Facebook and thought it sounded cool. He’s had a great time so far.”
The Native Centre’s annual Children’s Christmas Party was held this year on Dec. 7 and saw a couple hundred kids, and their family members, in the area attend for a day of festivities and time well-spent with one another.
“I love my job,” said Destiny Bailey, manager at Abbey House, a program organized by the Niagara Regional Native Centre.
Bailey is passionate about supporting families as they transition to independent living.
This holiday season, she said, Abbey House went above and beyond to ensure as many families as possible could have everything they needed to celebrate the holidays.
The centre aims to create lasting memories for children in the community, especially those from low-income families.
Ensuring they have a joyful holiday experience is key, said Halley Irwin, director of development and community engagement at the centre.
“Fallon Farinacci hosts a large fundraiser every year, to raise money for Abbey House. She also does additional drives for it,” said Irwin.
Irwin, who’s been attending this party since she was a baby, said it was a great chance for their community to connect.
“We like to host community events throughout the year that give our local Indigenous community an opportunity to come together with their families, and provide fun activities for the kids,” she said.
“It helps us ensure all children in our community have a great Christmas memory.”
Skylar Boyd said her son, Landon, is typically shy, so she found the party especially meaningful.
“He’s a very antisocial kid, so to be here and meet other people who understand him — who are like him, in a sense — has been a really great opportunity,” said Boyd. “I’ll definitely be back.”
