Staff and students of Yorkton Regional High School showed their Christmas spirit last week by helping out one of the families hit hardest by this summer's flood.
Cody Smithson, Heidi Vidnes, and their children Harley, Christian, Rebecca, and Sydney have been living at SIGN on Broadway since losing their home and most of its contents on July 1. Compensation through insurance and the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program has amounted to little, leaving them without enough money to pay off their existing mortgage, much less find new accommodations.
"We were wondering what we could do for a Christmas activity at an SRC meeting--how we could help the community," said YRHS SRC co-president Cordell Young.
"Someone had an idea at the meeting that there were still families living in the SIGN building, and that they might not have the best Christmas," continued co-president Rebecca Kriger. "We decided we would help them out and do what we could to make their Christmas a little merrier."
Going from classroom to classroom with donation pails, the school raised about $550 in cash plus contributions of toys and clothing. When Yorkton's Wal-Mart heard about the cause, it chipped in another $200.
The Vidnes family's problems are far from over, but the assistance at least made their Christmas a little brighter.
"This is awesome," said Heidi Vidnes. "From day one, the community has been awesome."
