Brantford – There really was something special in the air at the first annual Magic of Giving Holiday Market to benefit Lansdowne Children’s Centre.
Julie Neal, local real estate agent, owner of Style Haven Home Décor, and market organizer, said afterwards,
“It went really well. The attendance was great, support from the community was amazing, and the vendors all had a great time, too.”
The market had been held on Nov. 2 at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre in Brantford, which had drastically discounted the rental fee because it was for an event supporting Lansdowne, and Neal’s Real Estate Broker, Jason Tangorra, covered the rental fee.
Neal, a board member for Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation, had organized the market as a way to support Lansdowne, both financially and by raising the organization’s profile.
Before Neal’s daughter, Tenley, was a year old, she was diagnosed with lissencephaly, which means ‘smooth brain,’ because with the condition, a person’s brain doesn’t have the same folds and ridges that one normally sees. As a result of her condition, “She has global developmental delays; she has seizures, epilepsy,” Neal said previously. Tenley has been attending various therapies and supports at Lansdowne for almost a decade.
On Nov. 7, Neal presented the net proceeds from the market to Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation executive director Jennifer White and senior development officer Candace Kingyens, a total of $7,956.20.
These funds were raised through vendor table fees, guest admissions and a raffle. There were approximately 50 different local vendors and artisans displaying their wares at the market.
White said, “We’re incredibly grateful for the support from the community that attended the market, and we’re super grateful to Julie Neal for the impact she’s made on kids here at Lansdowne.”
White added that as this was given as a ‘greatest need’ donation, “(that) gives the centre the opportunity to determine where we need to allocate the funds.”
For more information on how to support Lansdowne, through a donation or hosting a third-party event of your own, visit lansdownecentre.ca/foundation.
If you missed attending the market this year, you’ll have another chance in 2025, Neal said. “I’m excited to do next year, and once I get that date confirmed, I’ll let everybody know.”
ABOUT LANSDOWNE CHILDREN’S CENTRE
Lansdowne Children's Centre is a highly accredited children's treatment centre (CTC) and SmartStart Hub, connecting caregivers with resources, services and supports for infants, children, and youth with physical, communication, and/or developmental needs. Supporting nearly 4,000 unique children and families annually, Lansdowne works with child and youth clients and their families at centres in Brantford, Caledonia, Dunnville and Simcoe, and in a variety of community settings such as homes, schools, childcares, early learning environments, and camps, as well as through virtual means using streaming video.
Learn more at www.lansdownecentre.ca
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