Operation Christmas Child officially started last October 23, 2009 and loving as we are, the residents of Gananoque Ontario and its surrounding areas in Kingston, Napanee and Westport are once again at the forefront of the activity.

Gananoque Ontario Joins Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child

Simply described as “Love in a Box”, Operation Christmas Child volunteers are now collecting thousands of shoeboxes in the Gananoque Ontario area filled with school supplies, small toys, hygiene items, clothes, ball caps, socks, sunglasses and other trinkets that children from lesser fortunate countries would benefit from. These countries include 15 nations throughout Central and South America.

Gail Shillington, regional coordinator of Operation Christmas Child, along with other volunteers is now calling on Gananoque residents to have their shoeboxes filled in support to Operation Christmas Child, which has been hand-delivering shoeboxes filled with gifts to more than 68 million children in 125 countries since 1993.

Making a difference

“These children have no hope and this brings some hope and shows that someone cares,” says Shillington who joined the Christian relief organization headed by Samaritan’s purse because she wanted to make a difference.

“Most of us never have the opportunity to do great things in a great way, but we all have opportunities to do small things in a great way,” she adds.

According to Shillington who had taken part in the delivery of the boxes in Nicaragua and Mexico, the smiles on the children’s faces and great appreciation from the parents are enough to motivate her and the other volunteers to keep on working for Operation Christmas Child every year.

It all started with 500 boxes, 5 volunteers and one church. Now, they have around 200 groups from churches, businesses, service clubs, families and 60 volunteers.

Collection dates

Everyone in Gananoque Ontario should expect Shillington and her volunteers to go around the area distributing the shoeboxes. Collection dates are from November 16-19, 2009 so mark your calendars to show you care.

As of July 15, 2009, the Gananoque Police Service is proud to offer a brand new online method of completing a criminal record check. While residents of Gananoque Ontario can still get a criminal record check the old way by visiting the police precinct themselves, authorities says to the public that the new online service will be more convenient and faster. The Gananoque Police Service performs the online check, but instead of you waiting ten days for a paper response, myBackCheck sends you your results electronically via the internet. This process usually takes place in a span of only two working days. More importantly, the new online method costs the same as the old one; $30.

myBackCheck service makes the process safe, fast and simple. All you have to do is register an account and order your criminal record check. Results are submitted to you in your own account, and sharing the criminal record check with the party requesting it is easily accomplished by selecting their name from a drop-down list, very similar to paying your bill via your online bank account.

You can log on to http://www.backcheck.net/gananoque/ and begin the process.

The Gananoque Police Service assures the public that getting a criminal record check in person is still very possible. This can be done by heading down to the Gananoque Police Station during office hours, Monday to Friday and furnish two pieces of valid identification with photos and a birth certificate.