Altona YFC/Youth Unlimited is partnering for the first time with the community's Tim Hortons for Smile Cookie Week. 100% of proceeds from every Smile Cookie sold at Altona Tim's today through Sunday, May 4th will support the group which works with youth.
"We knew Smile Cookie was a thing that Tim Hortons does, so obviously as a community organization we would love to get on that list," explained Executive Director Sheridan Sawatzky about how this came together. "We just reached out, and they've obviously done a few in Altona already, and this year they picked us."
How many cookies can we sell?
Leading up to this week, Sawatzky and the Altona YFC team have been busy booking hundreds of dozens of pre-orders which will be delivered this week. Many of those Smile Cookies will be decorated by volunteers from the organization.
"I have not, I don't have personal experience," said Sawatzky with a chuckle regarding whether he has previously decorated a Smile Cookie, "Luckily, my mom is a baker, so she's already volunteered her expertise in making sure it runs well, and obviously the Tim Hortons guys are great at letting us know how to do things."
He noted Altona YFC programming participants will be helping in various ways throughout the week, including decorating cookies.
"I think a big part of it is a lot of the teens have realized, especially if they are aware of our old building, our old programs and all that kind of stuff, is how we've grown," he shared. "They see the value in what they're getting from YFC, so if they have an opportunity to kind of pay that back in a way that they can, other than buying a drink in the canteen, they can volunteer at a fundraiser."
Sawatzky noted volunteering is not a new thing for the group's youth, pointing to the many teens who work at the fundraising taco nights Altona YFC holds.
Altona YFC/Youth Unlimited a busy place
"Definitely it's busy," he said. "There's not really a slow night anymore. It used to be you could count on this night will be a little bit slower, but no, we have consistently 40 to 50 kids showing up on a night. We're blessed to have the community support to make that all happen, but also just to see how the kids are really grabbing hold of what we're doing and loving to be in our space in our different programs."
Throughout the year, Sawatzky said they are seeing about 400 different youth participating in their programming.
"We see there's always a need for teens to have a place where they belong and feel comfortable and feel seen," reflected Sawatzky. "With YFC the relationship aspect of what we do is the core of what we do. We're motivated by our our love for Christ. That's our love for kids that just shines through. To see kids and how our volunteers and our staff value them, and just want to be with them and see them succeed, you can see the effects on the teens."
You can still order your Smile Cookies to support Altona YFC/Youth Unlimited by clicking here.