Students decorate the bags with hand-drawn designs and words of inspiration. (Christina Renneberg)

By Jordan Davidson

giving spirit

‘The impact is profound:’ students help homeless community with annual campaign

Nov 25, 2022 | 5:31 AM

NANAIMO — Students across the region are in their 19th year of putting smiles on the faces of some of the communities less fortunate.

The Everybody Deserves a Smile (EDAS) campaign has students from kindergarten to grade 12 creating beautifully decorated bags filled with cards, delicious treats, and warm clothing.

Inclusion outreach coordinator and teacher at Fairview Community School Christina Renneberg said it’s obvious to her how much the students love being involved in the project.

“I think that more and more students love to talk about how they can spread kindness and how giving makes them feel good as well, and how there’s a need in their community and they can actually do something to make an impact. It’s a pretty beautiful thing”

She said the students are able to fully realize the power a simple message of hope can have on someone who is going through a hard time.

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Personal notes from the students are also included in each bag to lift the spirits of the person receiving them. (Christina Renneberg)

Since the program has been ongoing for nearly two decades, some students have been able to participate from kindergarten all the way until graduation.

Renneberg said the people receiving the packages are incredibly grateful, and these exchanges can lead to beautifully profound moments of humanity.

“A teacher went to the Valley Lodge and the person was just really grateful for the package and then they kind of flew open their door to their room and on the wall was two envelopes from the previous years and two cards students had made. The impact is profound, and there’s this human-to-human moment that happens that really brings smiles.”

The EDAS curriculum was created to help students understand the world of homelessness, create an atmosphere of empathy and understanding, and to honour the truth that everybody deserves to feel seen and valued, no matter what.

With over 1,000 students participating, they are hoping to fill at least 650 bags which will then be delivered to 20 different shelters and organizations in Nanaimo and Oceanside.

They hope to break those packages down into 240 for men, 50 for women, and 10 for non-binary individuals living outside this holiday season.

This year the project is being hosted by École Hammond Bay Elementary, one of several locations where donations can be dropped off until Dec. 12.

Other locations include Fairview Community School, Nanaimo District Secondary School, North Oyster Elementary, Nanaimo Crossfit, and Nanaimo Alliance Church.

Preferred donation items include new toques, gloves, scarves, socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap.

Cash donations can also be made, with cheques being made out to ‘EDAS’, or ‘Everbody Deserves A Smile’.

E-transfer donations are also accepted at: edas.nanaimo@gmail.com.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow