FCT, Silayan centres open Christmas doors to kids, seniors

FCT, Silayan centres open Christmas doors to kids, seniors

By Beatrice Paez

Christmas will be unwrapped earlier this year for families looking to celebrate the season with their community. The Filipino Centre Toronto and Silayan Commuity Centre are opening their doors this weekend with the hopes of animating the Christmas spirit of children and their parents.

Though home to the Filipinos of St. James town, Regent Park and Moss Park, the Filipino Centre opened the festivities at to the broader community, reflective of the diversity of the neighbourhoods. Children from nearby elementary schools were invited to attend their annual Christmas party, this Saturday at 11 a.m.

The party will be the culminating event of the season, following the centre’s annual lantern making and Christmas card decorating workshops.

A trip to Jerusalem, a snapshot with Santa and caroling are some of the activities in store for the kids. And all bets are off with this Santa, who’s doing away with the naughty or nice list, because all of the kids expected to arrive will be coming home with a present as part of their tradition.

The centre relies on its staff and contingent of volunteers from the Filipino University Student Association to carry out its events and programming, along with donations from the community to boost its efforts.

The budget for the children’s party was only sized to fit 40 children but eight more signed up to attend, compared to the year before, when up to 60 slots could be filled. Although they didn’t receive many donations this year for their toy drive, the president of the community centre, Rosalinda Javier, says the centre wasn’t about to turn families away.

Not too far from the Filipino Centre is the Silayan Community Centre, which is known to provide a refuge for seniors living in the city. As part of its Seniors Working for Seniors project, Silayan will be kicking the holiday into gear this weekend, leading with an intergenerational celebration at the Filipino Centre on Sunday, (Dec. 16), from 1 to 5 p.m.

Seniors Working Seniors, Hernani de Leon of Silayan explains, is for “seniors who are isolated and disengaged from the Filipino community.” With an expected guest list of a hundred, the organizers are expecting a full house and are hoping to provide much needed cheer for seniors and their families alike by drawing them all together under one roof.

The following day, Silayan will top the celebration with a luncheon for about 100 seniors, dubbed Santa’s Helpers Holiday Luncheon, at St. Andrew’s United Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festivity will not only provide a warm meal, but will also feature a Health and Safety talk on fall prevention, led by a representative from the office of the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat.

Though most of the seniors are not drawn from the same old girls’/old boys’ network and instead come from a variety of different associations, the event and the season will be all about forging new bonds for those yearning for a broader connection to their community and roots.

For more information and to register, contact Hernani de Leon, at Silayan Community Centre, 416-926-9505.

Santa’s Helpers Holiday Luncheon for seniors will be held on Monday, December 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Church, 117 Bloor St. East.

For more information, contact Rosalinda Javier, at the Filipino Centre Toronto, 416-928-9355. The Centre is located at 597 Parliament.