Spreading joy to our youngest community members

Every child should feel the joy of receiving a gift on Christmas morning. It’s the foundation of a 14-year partnership with Red Express and CUPS, providing warmth, love and joy to children every Christmas. 

All of the work done at CUPS to provide integrated care to individuals and families is built on early childhood brain development and the impact of experiences early in life. Christmas morning is one of those precious moments, where a child receives a gift and can feel overcome with emotion —  joy. 

Through the Red Express campaign, money raised goes directly to support our youngest community members in the Child Development Centre. The Red Express team captures the wishes of the children for a shiny new toy for Christmas and then partners with Castle Toys to purchase gifts. The focus is on supplying toys that benefit early childhood development through thoughtful and engaging play.

Building resilience from a young age

The holidays are often the time of year where disparities between families and income levels are exposed. For families who are just scraping by and focused on having enough food on the table and a roof over their heads, buying Christmas presents simply isn’t always an option. This is where partnerships with Red Express and other community organizations are so important. 

“The children's program is our best advantage to get it right sooner,” explains Carlene Donnelly, Executive Director at CUPS. “The work we can do with kids can really work to break the cycle of poverty and trauma.

There are currently 57 children between the ages of 3 and 6 enrolled in the Child Development Centre, which includes a full-day preschool program and Kindergarten. The children are provided with breakfast, lunch and snacks and also have access to healthcare services, transportation and other support services they may need. It’s a full-service program designed to give these young community members the tools to build resilience and a strong foundation for the future. 

Programs like Red Express play an important role in the work we do to support young people and we are very grateful for their support.

You can contribute directly to the Red Express campaign. Click here to donate.

This year, as part of the 2021 Red Express campaign, Tyler Chisholm and clearmotive marketing will contribute $10* for every like, share, or repost of our Red Express social media content to your channels.

*up to a maximum of $2000.