By Emily Stonehouse

It’s the time of year for magic and kindness, and that’s something that’s clear during St. George’s Anglican Church’s annual St. Nick’s Satchel Campaign.

For the past eight years, the “Creative Devotions”, a sewing group that is a part of the church, gathers together to create Christmas satchels – sweetly created little bags – which are filled with goodies for older kids, and donated directly to the Youth Hub in Haliburton.

“We saw a need there,” said Louise Sisson, the People’s Warden from St. George’s Anglican Church. “It was something that was started by Reverend Ken McClure. He was very much a storyteller, and loved the story of St. Nick.”

The legend of St. Nick started around 350 AD, with a Greek Orthodox bishop named Nicholas, who heard that a local townsman was struggling, and had to sell his three beautiful daughters as a result. Nicholas went to the man’s home late one evening, and threw a small satchel of gold into a window. The gold was enough to save the man and his daughters from poverty.

The story has been woven and evolved into the background for the modern-day Santa Claus; a regular gift giver and bringer of joy.

Each year, the Creative Devotions of St. George’s put together 50 small satchels for youth in the community, and include three gift cards, an orange, and some treats inside the colourful bags. They are then donated to Point in Time’s Youth Hub in Haliburton, where Mary Sisson, the Hub manager, disperses them to individuals in need.

The Youth Hub is “a one stop shop for youth aged 12 to 25,” shared Mary. “It is an inclusive, positive and welcoming space where youth can access a broad range of services and supports delivered in a respectful and inclusive fashion.”

The space offers drop-in programming, skills and well-being activities, tutoring, support around mental health, substance use and addictions, housing, sexual health, and employment, to name a few offerings. They also provide transportation for trips, recreation, and services across the county.

Last year, the Youth Hub served 215 individual youth for formal services, with 1945 visits for skills and wellbeing activities. This fiscal year, from April until now, the Hub has seen 1932 visits for activities, and is supporting roughly 47 youth with food security support.

Hub manager Mary Sisson shared that the satchels provided by St. Georges are a bright spot for many of the youth in the community, particularly as that age range is often overlooked during many holiday campaigns. “For older youth who may be on their own, or don’t have a connection to family, to get this gift is so special,” she said. “We are just so grateful for this partnership over the past few years.”

Louise Sisson is proud of the hard work that the church has done for the community hub, and shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to supporting the youth. “The hub looks after them,” she said. “It gives them a place to go after school, a place to listen to music, play games, and be a safe space. It’s just such an awesome place to have in our community.”

The Haliburton County Youth Wellness Hub is located at 12 Dysart Avenue. More information can be found at www.youthhubs.ca.