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Stockings being stuffed for patients in Pincher Creek

Story by Kerri Robins

Santa and his elves are everywhere, just when ya need ¡¯em. And busy, busy, busy.

¡°Obviously it¡¯s no fun being in the hospital at Christmas,¡± says Jordan Koch, site manager of Pincher Creek Health Centre. ¡°Hopefully, our patients will feel the warmth of the season when they see what Santa has brought them Christmas morning.¡±

And Santa has been getting a lot of help from his friends.

¡°This is our first annual ¡®Christmas stocking stuffers,¡¯ and community volunteerism has been amazing,¡± says chief elf Megan deBoer, Â鶹ӳ»­ (AHS) volunteer co-ordinator for Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek.

¡°We¡¯ve stuffed 40 stockings for adults and five stockings for kids, and the nurses at Pincher Creek Health Centre will help Santa on Christmas Eve by handing them out to patients,¡± says deBoer.

While stuffing stockings for hospital patients isn¡¯t a new concept, it plays out a little differently each time and never gets old. The brainchild of nursing staff at the Chinook Regional Hospital in the early ¡¯60s, it was founded by the Friends of Chinook Regional Hospital and the Hospital Auxiliary.

The volunteer elves in Pincher Creek are a speedy bunch who pulled off this campaign quickly. The first meeting was held in November and, by Dec. 6, the stockings were sewn and stuffed.

¡°Our local community really stepped up to the plate and pitched in," says deBoer. ¡°We got a kickstart from the Windy Slopes Health Foundation with a $500 donation, along with support from McRae Holdings Ltd. and Damberger Trucking.¡±

As for the volunteers? They were modest about their efforts.

¡°It was such a small thing for us to do,¡± says June LaGrandeur, a local volunteer who chipped in on the sewing and stuffing. ¡°I think I can speak on behalf of the ladies I volunteered with that it¡¯s our pleasure to do this if it brings even a small smile to someone¡¯s face.¡±

The stockings were stuffed full of socks; crossword puzzles and pens; lotions; nail kits; tissues; candy and toys; and stickers for the kids. And, thanks to Dr. Bonertz & Creekside Dental Clinic, patients also received toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste in their stockings.

It¡¯ll be a tough call to see who has more fun Christmas morning ¨C the nurses who get to see those happy smiles, or the patients unpacking their stockings from Santa.

¡°We¡¯ve already decided we want to do stockings again next year, and we¡¯re adding ¡®basket stuffing¡¯ to the list for Easter,¡± says deBoer, laughing.

The Windy Slopes Health Foundation echoes that commitment.

¡°The community and volunteers really picked up the ball and ran with it,¡± says Donna Schauerte, Windy Slopes Health Foundation Chair. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to see such Christmas spirit and dedication in the community and from so many departments at our hospital. Christmas morning will be a little brighter for our patients.¡±

Windy Slopes Health Foundation raises funds in support of priority health care needs at Pincher Creek Health Centre.

Please visit the Windy Slopes Health Foundation ??for more information.