Saving Christmas, one sponsor at a time > Family Services of Greater Vancouver helps less fortunate locals Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter hile Christmas is known as a joyous occasion, it inarguably revolves around the spending of money. In many cases, the price tag that is placed on families during the season is too much to bear, especially for those living in expense-filled Metro Vancouver. For those struggling to survive the holidays in New Westminster, there are multiple organizations across the city willing to lend a helping hand—one of which being Family Services of Greater Vancouver. Now in their sixth year, the Family Services of Greater Vancouver is offering the chance to brighten someone else’s day with their adopt-a-family and adopt-a- senior programs this holiday season. The program tries its best to match the giver and the receiver(s) according to what their needs or wants are, and most importantly, the amount willing to be donated. “The piece of advice I'd like to tell people for the wish list or gift ideas is to think of a range. Sometimes kids really want an iPad, but sponsors can’t always buy iPads,” said Patricia Steiner, coordinator of community education and development service, to the New Westminster Record. “Having a range of gift ideas is really helpful” “Tt’s not first-come, first-served. What we do is make sure that people are eligible. Sometimes a donor will come and say, ‘I really want a family that has a boy and a girl who are under nine because that’s my family’ We match as we go along.” Registration is nearing its end by the beginning of December, with plans to personally distribute all items to each family’s home by December 16. There is no need to worry about missing the deadline, though. Many organizations— including Family Services—accept and rely on monetary donations to fuel their initiatives. Family Services noted that while specific presents are fantastic for children, gift cards are most ideal, as they give families far more options to create a Christmas specifically designed for them. Steiner noted to the New Westminster Record that they are still accepting donations of money. Usually, the charitable organization purchases DCBA runs social media contest > A chance to win textbooks and manuals Carlos Bilan Staff Writer he Douglas College Business Association (DCBA) is running a social media contest where participants can have the chance to win Income Tax Textbooks Volume 1, 2, and Solutions Manual. The value of the prizes adds up to $200. The contest runs from November 28 to December 18, with the cut-off time being 11:59 p.m. on December 18. Students can enter the contest by liking the DCBA Facebook page and taking a picture of themselves with any DCBA display at either Douglas college campus— Coquitlam and New Westminster. After the photo is taken, students should upload it onto their Facebook and caption the photo with the hashtag #dcbatax. There are only three rules that students who participate in the contest must follow. First, pictures must not contain any offensive or upsetting content, in any manner. Second, tagging the photos for the contest is prohibited. Third, participants who do not follow the rules stated will be disqualified. Alexanda Nicoara, the vice president of marketing in the DCBA, spoke about the contest. “Brandy Dudas, an accounting instructor had these books and she wanted to donate them to the DCBA. The idea for the contest was Milan Sagar’s, our president,” she said. Milan Sagar, president of the DCBA, said that he wanted to engage students with the contest. “DCBA thought it would a great idea to give someone an early Christmas present. We're constantly looking for ways to engage our student body,” he said, “and who doesn’t love a free gift that’s valued at close to $200?” Sagar advised those who plan to study income tax: “Don’t fall behind in the readings and work. Practice the questions again and again. [...] What you want to get good at is the way to do the question. Ask questions with your professor and classmates if you don’t get something. Someone will have a different angle.” The DCBA also has another event gift cards at Walmart or Superstore. Furthermore, they divide the money between whoever is on their waiting list in order to ensure that no one walks away empty handed. According to Family Services, 150 family units, both families with children or seniors, were connected with sponsors, totaling 287 children and 216 adults in 2014. “Some people don’t want to connect face-to-face but they really want to have an impact,” explained Steiner to the New Westminster Record. “We take care of it. When it comes down to the final days, it’s probably easier for us to give gift cards to families because then the parents can buy exactly what their kids want. It empowers the parents in a way, too.” Image via newwestrecord.ca in store for students by the end of this year—the Salvation Army Brunch, taking place on December 17 at the New Westminster Salvation Army. “In 2017, We've got a plethora of events including, but not limited to: CPA Case Competition, Tax Clinic, Networking Workshop and Networking Panel Event, and Access Information Session. We're also going to be introducing a few events that are currently in the works,” Sagar said. “We're always looking for new members and always trying to see if we can reward members that do come out and give their time. Signing up to our mailing list is a great way at getting information about events and general information delivered straight to your inbox.”