GB’s Darwin office were proud to lend a hand at the Alabut Families Indigenous Corporation (AFIC) annual children’s Christmas party this year.

Funded by donations, the party brought underprivileged kids in the Territory together in a happy day of sharing and togetherness.

GB’s John Deane, Sophie Potter and Jolanta Jones joined forces with Cynthia Sariago, founder of AFIC, to treat more than 100 children to a great day. 

"The purpose of the day was to bring happiness to children, not only our Indigenous kids but all kids. This is just one way of showing children that we are here to listen, give advice in a positive way and share the love around. You would be surprised how many kids just need a Big Nanny Hug to show them that we care!" Cynthia explained.

Santa made a surprise visit to the Christmas party, bringing with him 100 GB Gentle Bears as an early Christmas present. 

Gentle Bear is GB’s symbol of caring and compassion. The Gentle Bear program celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, and more than 10,000 bears have been donated to children in difficult circumstances over that time.

According to Cynthia the bears were a hit, but after ten years it might be time for an outfit change...

"All the kids that I spoke to said that they love Gentle Bear - although a few of the girls said they'd like to see some Gentle Bears dressed in pink!" 

“The Christmas party was such a joyful event,” GB’s NT Operations Manager, John Deane, said. “Seeing their faces light up when Santa arrived in a firetruck, sirens blazing – that made it all worthwhile. I feel so fortunate contributing a small part in the local community”.

Although it was a joyful event, according to Cynthia initiatives like this also play an important role in community healing.

"Some families  have endured generations of removal and it can be hard hard to put happy and healthy families back together again after that has happened. I wanted everyone to see that we need to prioritise the children coming up now and that is one of the ways we will break the cycle of sadness and despair."

"I wanted to bring some joy into children’s lives, especially those who don’t have much. Every day is a hard day for some families. I know as a grandparent now that seeing my grandkids have the things I never had helps me to heal and I know it works for other Elders too.  Happy memories are theirs to keep."

The Alabut Families Indigenous Corporation would greatly appreciate help with letters of support, charitable donations and other volunteer work. If you’d like to contribute to this group, please contact Cynthia.