During her first year of involvement with Dilico’s Christmas Wish campaign, Blythe Haynen was invited to a school to attend an assembly where a donation was being made.
“They had about 350 kids sitting in this gymnasium, and it was loud and busy, and it really kind of put into perspective what this campaign is about,” Haynen said.
“I always hold the visual in mind with every campaign. We work hard to fulfill the wishes that we get, and I really try to visualize that it’s that many kids that are looking for wishes each year.”
The Dilico Christmas Wish campaign, which collects and distributes donated gifts for babies, children and youth throughout the Thunder Bay district, began in 2008.
Haynen – who is the assistant director of communications at Dilico – has been involved with the campaign for eight years.
“I think we’ve brought in 9,000 gifts since it starte, and I think it’s something that is really unique and special,” Haynen said.
While Haynen is the lead coordinator for the campaign, she’s quick to credit the work that her staff does to make all of the personalized wishes come true.
“This year was no different,” Haynen said. “We saw so many special requests and it was exciting to see somebody getting exactly what they’ve asked for.
“For example, we got a request from a boy who wanted something to do with hunting, and our staff went out and got him a hunting jacket. To see everyone come together and help out with that is just awesome.”
Haynen says it takes a few months for everything in the program to come together, as they take in the requests from the wish lists and then get to work on creating the bags the gifts go in.
“I feel like we’re in the home stretch now,” Haynen added. “We’ve completed 800 bags … I think we did an additional 50 this week, and there’s at least another 30 requests in my inbox that I’m working on right now.
“We’re working as hard as we can right until Christmas to try and get as many wishes out there as we can.”
Haynen said she's thrilled to have played a role in the growth of the campaign over the years.
“I work with so many incredible and inspiring workers here at Dilico, and they share all of these beautiful stories with me,” Haynen said. “My background is in communications and fundraising, so it’s really cool that I’m able to use my skills there with this campaign.
“I’m an optimist in general, and knowing that I can share some of these stories and get that information out to different businesses in the areas that it might align with for our campaign.
“It’s also very easy to get volunteers into our organization as they help out on the weekends at different booths and interact with the clientele, which is also a very special part of Christmas Wish.
“I love doing each of those jobs and I want to be as involved as possible as I feel very passionate about this campaign. It’s kind of my baby and I look forward every year to try and make it the best it can be.”
There will be a bit of downtime for Haynen once this year’s Christmas Wish Campaign wraps up, but she’s already setting her sights on 2024.
“I’ve got a good list of things that I’d love to take next year and some solutions I want to put forward,” Hayen said with a laugh. “I’m always thinking or planning ahead.”
