Military families will be out in full force at Brentwood Town Centre this weekend in support of Sears Operation Wish.
Sears will be donating a percentage of sales of Nate, Sears' plush bear for 2013, to the Canadian Association of Military Family Resource Centres, according to a press release.
The funding will go towards youth programs.
Darrian Ryce is a 17-year-old from Chilliwack whose father is a combat engineer who was deployed three times while she was growing up.
Ryce will be on hand with other military family members at the launch of Operation Wish, taking place Sunday at noon at the main floor of Sears in Brentwood Town Centre, the release stated.
The community is invited to send well wishes to the military by signing the lifesize cutout of the Nate bear between Dec. 15 and 20.
The cutout will be posted on the Mainland B.C. Military Family Resource Centre Facebook page as a symbol of the community's support, the release stated.
The public is also encouraged to send holiday greetings to mainland B.C. military families on the page, facebook.com/BCMFRC, until Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.
Blanket drive a success
The Realtors Care Blanket Drive helped keep more than 20,000 people warm as temperatures dropped in the Lower Mainland recently, according to a press release from the organizers.
The drive, which took place between Nov. 18 and 25, collected coats, blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing, which were given to homeless people in the region, the release stated.
"With the cold snap, your donation of blankets, gloves and warm clothing mean so much to our clients," Maxine Davis, executive director of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, said in the release. "Some of the recipients have shared with us that their living conditions are very cold right now, so these items were put to immediate use."
The Dr. Peter Centre offers health programs and long-term and supportive housing to individuals with HIV/AIDS requiring specialized care, the release stated.
In Burnaby and New Westminster, the drive collected donations for more than 650 people, according to a followup email from Fiona Youatt, communications coordinator for the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, which organizes the annual drive.
Those donations were delivered to the union Gospel Mission in New Westminster.
Do you have a business-related item to share with the community? Email details to Janaya Fuller-Evans.
