Bradford sisters Sarah and Emily Dahlgren are back at it again this year, raising money for their charity A Bradford Christmas, with a goal of raising $50,00 for the Helping Hand Food Bank and their Christmas Hampers.
To help reach their goal, they have organized a number of fundraisers around town including a silent auction, a toonie campaign, a fall decor sale and a collaborative event with the Bradford freshii.
They recently received holiday décor pieces from a generous donor in Kentucky, and are selling the items at Sweet B's Bakery on Simcoe Road and Holland Street West, with all proceeds going toward the cause.
"We received a generous donation of fall and Christmas décor items from Mr. Richard Heidrich, President of Design Direct Creative Group, in Covington, Kentucky," they shared. "Mr. Heidrich sent us three large boxes of their fall and Christmas décor collections. We have been selling them at Sweet B's and they are almost sold out!"
Owner of Sweet B's, Bonnie Aguiar will be helping the sisters out at Bradford's Pumpkin Fest on Oct. 17 at Henderson Park with a portion of the sales from her goodie boxes being donated back to A Bradford Christmas. The sisters will also be at the event selling their own handmade Halloween decorations.
On Oct. 21, the sisters will be set up for a socially distanced 'meet and greet' at freshii in Bradford. When you purchase select bowls at the restaurant that day, part of the proceeds will go to the fundraiser.
"It was a pleasure to meet with Bradford's freshii owner, Salim Baradi regarding fundraising ideas, we love to support (eat at) freshii Bradford," they said. "We are so grateful and very excited!"
"We would be open to partner with other restaurants/businesses in town in the same manner. This kind of partnership is a win-win; it brings customers into the business and, with their purchase, A Bradford Christmas gets closer to our goal of $50,000," they said.
Another way for residents to get involved, is taking part in their toonie campaign, with a goal of having every resident of Bradford donate $2 to their cause.
"There are over 30,000 residents in Bradford West Gwillimbury. If everyone donated a toonie, we would surpass our goal of $50,000," the girls explained.
"When we work together as a community, the community as a whole benefits."
On Oct. 25, the girls will be taking part in the Newmarket Moms Community Family Market. They will have a booth set up at the front entrance, accepting monetary donations from guests. The market will also be accepting toys for the 'A Colt Christmas Wish Toy Drive' hosted by Cherlyn Asher, President of Colt Paper.
Asher supported the sisters with their Christmas Hampers last year, providing them with free bubble wrap to package all their items.
"She (Asher) is from Granada, knows firsthand of the poverty on her island and is giving back to her community in Granada. We would like to support her as much as possible; just like she supported us!"
Lastly, the ladies have been collecting donations from local businesses for their online silent auction, which will take place in mid-November. So far numerous businesses around town have donated to the auction and fundraiser.
If there are any local businesses that want to donate, they can email the sisters at [email protected] or direct message them on Instagram at @abradfordchristmas.
"The support of these businesses, and our community is very important to us and we are truly grateful! The only way we can successfully reach our goal of $50,000, is by working together."
