Holiday Hero: Helping Young People for 20 Years

For two decades, the SAC community has proven that some of the most meaningful gifts cannot be measured by what is wrapped beneath a tree. They are found in the kindness of a student choosing a present for someone they will never meet, a parent picking out winter boots for a young person in need, or a staff member helping to wrap hundreds of gifts destined to bring comfort and joy during the holiday season.

The program was founded by the York Region Children’s Aid Society (YRCAS), with continued support from organizations such as York Regional Police, Canadian Tire, and the Salvation Army.

St. Andrew’s launched the school initiative in 2007 through a Middle School parent’s connection with the YRCAS. By 2009, students across both Middle and Upper School had joined the effort, helping sponsor approximately 80 families. As support for the program grew, so did its impact. In 2011, a generous donation from an SAC parent expanded the program to support roughly 130 families and 120 youth annually for the next six years.

The program evolved again in 2017 when YRCAS restructured the program. The Salvation Army assumed responsibility for supporting families, while SAC focused exclusively on helping young people.

When St. Anne’s School opened in 2022, it joined the effort, strengthening the partnership and ensuring that SAC and SAS became the sole supporters of youth in the Ready, Set, Go and Voluntary Youth Services Agreement programs.

Today, as we celebrate the program’s 20th year, the mission remains as important as ever.

Each year, YRCAS youth workers identify young people, aged 13 to 23, who could benefit from extra support during the holiday season. Many have faced significant challenges. Some are in foster care, group homes, kinship care, or living independently while under society care. Others are teenagers who cannot safely remain at home and are learning to navigate adulthood on their own. Still others are participants in transition programs that help them develop the skills, confidence, and resources needed to build independent lives.

Every Holiday Hero story is unique. Through their holiday wish lists, youth share a glimpse into their lives and aspirations. Their requests often focus on necessities many of us take for granted: bedding, toiletries, winter coats, boots, kitchen supplies, and household essentials. Some may hope for help toward larger purchases such as a mattress, a phone, or educational and technological tools that support their goals.

What makes this program extraordinary is the response from the SAC and SAS communities. Staff, students, parents, and advisory groups come together to answer these requests, ensuring that each young person is remembered and supported. Once the gifts arrive on campus, another tradition begins as students and staff work side by side, wrapping hundreds of presents before youth workers deliver them in time for the holidays.

For many of these young people, the gifts they receive through the Holiday Hero Program may be the only gifts they open during the season. Yet beyond the items themselves, each package carries a powerful message: someone cares, someone believes in them, and they are not facing life’s challenges alone.

Twenty years after a handful of gifts were first placed beneath a giving tree, the Holiday Hero program continues to demonstrate the incredible impact a caring community can have. Through generosity, compassion, and a shared commitment to helping others, SAC and SAS have helped brighten the holidays for thousands of young people.