Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to two charitable Christmas initiatives in my riding of Kelowna. The first is the Be an Angel Fund organized by one of our local newspapers, the Daily Courier .
For three weeks, beginning on December 3, in words and pictures it has shown what it is like to face the holiday season with fear instead of joy, with despair instead of anticipation, with a tear instead of a smile. The angel fund receives donations on behalf of the Salvation Army and the food bank, and publishes stories explaining what the donations do to turn these situations of hopelessness to happiness.
The Tree of Hope campaign features a 110-foot tall tree where individuals and groups purchase lights on the tree. The money goes to local children's charities: Central Okanagan Foundation and the Rainbow of Opportunities. This year the campaign raised over 30% more than last year.
Together these two campaigns prove that there truly are angels who spread the light of hope during the Christmas season.