“It happened!” expressed Emily and Sarah Dahlgren, organizers of A Bradford Christmas campaign.
What seemed like the impossible, the Dahlgren sisters pulled off an extraordinary fundraiser with the help of the community, raising just over $50,000 for the Helping Hand Food Bank’s Holiday Hamper Program.
The teen sisters worked tirelessly day and night for the last several months preparing and organizing various fundraisers with Bradford businesses, dispersing and collecting countless toonie jars and coin banks throughout the town, retrieving and uploading items for an online silent auction – all for the sake of the local food bank’s hamper program.
Excitement built as the girls were short $18K just 24 hours before their cheque presentation to the food bank. They used social media and asked residents to donate just $2 per person to A Bradford Christmas, hoping to reach at least 9,000 people to help them hit their target.
And it worked!
The final amount raised from the collective efforts of A Bradford Christmas and the community was $50,063.41. The big news was left a surprise to not only supporters, local businesses, and town council, but as well a secret to the Dahlgren sisters themselves.
The girls’ mother, Sandra Dahlgren, tallied up the final numbers Wednesday night and into Thursday morning as e-transferred donations continued to pour in before the final cheque reveal on Thursday in the parking lot of the Bradford Community Centre.
“I hoped with everything I had that it was $50k," shared Emily. “When we saw that first ‘5’, we will never forget that moment… it happened!”
Cheers and clapping surrounded the girls as they revealed the final numbers to the Mayor of Bradford, Rob Keffer and members of town council, local MP Scot Davidson (who had personally matched a couple of the donations during fundraisers), friends, family, and all the local Bradford businesses who came out in person to celebrate A Bradford Christmas’ big moment.
“I never expected it to be $50,000," shares Carolyn Khan, new President of the Helping Hand Food Bank. “I had to wipe a couple tears when I saw that! It’s both amazing and exciting!”
Khan states that what these girls have accomplished will provide Christmas dinners for over 200 families in town, equating to approximately 600-700 people.
“You have affected that many people!” exclaimed Khan. “Those two tiny words – thank you – mean so much more. You found people inside and outside of the community to help… I can’t even express my awe of your marketing, dedication, and energy."
Deputy Mayor James Leduc added “on behalf of the board, we certainly want to enjoy this moment with you [girls] and do something in the new year more personal. This is great and wonderful! Thank you for inviting us!”
The silent auction raised $9,231, the toonie jars collected $1,219.25, and the coin banks brought in $1,021.51.
“I want to say thanks in recognition of your remarkable and incredible endeavours, to support the less fortunate in Bradford West Gwillimbury,” expressed MP Davidson. “A Bradford Christmas has motivated and inspired the entire community… to give back at a time when it’s sorely needed. You can be immensely proud of your efforts!”
The girls shared that this year was by far the hardest for fundraising, especially with Covid, but are excited to announce they will be registering A Bradford Christmas as a charity in the new year and will be looking for leaders to join their board.
Overall, the list of supporters, donators, businesses, and participants from all over (even as far as London, England, and Kentucky) is long, but Emily and Sarah Dahlgren want to thank everyone for their help in reaching their goal. From the smallest donations, to large contributions, the collective support is what made it possible.
“It's the act of giving - all the shares, the change people gave, the donations for the silent auction – it was just constant support!” shares Sandra, who took turns with her husband (Sean) driving their daughters to all their fundraising events and supported them throughout this entire journey. “When you encourage a child like that, imagine what their future will hold, and in return they will encourage others to follow in their footsteps."
A special thank you to the girls’ aunt (Sonja Rowhani) who stayed up late on many occasions helping Sarah and Emily with this fundraiser.
Covid did not stop the girls from reaching out to the community and accomplishing the great feat.
On behalf of BradfordToday, we want to commend Emily and Sarah for all their hard work and allowing us to follow their journey and capture these significant moments that will change the lives of residents in the town of Bradford this holiday season.
“We have a very, very giving community” adds Sandra. “It’s not about the money, it’s about the action."
