Community Runs for a Cause at the 2022 Santa Shuffle

Every year, thousands of Canadians come together for the Santa Shuffle in support of The Salvation Army and to help raise money for vulnerable people in their communities. The 2022 Santa Shuffle was held across the country in December, seeing national participation in cities such as Edmonton; Abbotsford, B.C.; Ottawa; Thunder Bay, Ont.; St. John’s, N.L.; Moncton, N.B.; and Charlottetown.

Hosted by the Running Room in partnership with The Salvation Army, the Santa Shuffle invited participants to join a five-kilometre Fun Run for adults or one- kilometre Elf Walk for kids. At each site, shufflers were greeted by a registration and warming tent and a Running Room inflatable start/finish line arch. The event began with a warm-up by local fitness sponsors before racers approached the starting line.

“This was my first Santa Shuffle, and while it was freezing outside, the atmosphere was so warm and friendly,” says Katie Marshall, special events, initiatives and marketing specialist at territorial headquarters, who attended the Toronto race at Sunnybrook Park. “Many people came dressed in festive attire to participate in the best-dressed contest, and the kids were excited to get their faces painted and to see Santa, who was in attendance.”

At First Lake Trail in Lower Sackville, N.S., more than 160 participants and 15 volunteers came together for the Santa Shuffle in partnership with The Salvation Army Encounter Church. Pre- and postrace festivities were offered at the corps with music, hot chocolate, snacks and Salvation Army mascots, Shieldy and Sally

Army History on Display at National Historic Site

FromNovember to Christmas, a month-long exhibit at Hillary House National Historic Site in Aurora, Ont., organized by Northridge Community Church and The Salvation Army Archives, showcased the 139-year presence of the Army in the Newmarket and Aurora area of York Region. This was the first outside exhibit at Hillary House in the museum’s 40-year history.

“We hoped to encourage people to learn more about The Salvation Army in the community and we were proud to be the first outside exhibit at Hillary House National Historic Site,” says Angela Covert, community relations representative at Northridge Community Church.

“There are many people in the community, including new Canadians, who are not aware of The Salvation Army and the programs and services we provide. We support anyone in need of assistance in Central York Region and I hope this exhibit increased the knowledge of The

Salvation Army as a whole.”

The exhibit showcased historical photographs of Salvation Army officers and members, uniforms from 1960, church buildings from York Region, brass band instruments and artifacts and information about the establishment of the Army in the region, which dates to 1883 in Newmarket and 1884 in Aurora.

“The Aurora Historical Society was excited to partner with Northridge Community Church and The Salvation Army Archives to showcase the history of this important organization. The Salvation Army has had a significant presence in Newmarket and Aurora for over 130 years and this exhibit gave visitors a glimpse into their charitable work and positive impact on the community,” says Kathleen Vahey, curator and manager of Hillary House.

Included in the collection was the earliest known photograph of Newmarket church members, taken in January 1896. One of the exhibit’s highlights was a paint- ing entitled Montage from Ontario artist Alan Dent Wilson. The large painting was part of a 1972 travelling art show that celebrated the 90th anniversary of The Salvation Army in Canada. Montage depicts the range of services provided by the Army for women, children and seniors, and in correctional justice and health care.

Ann. Participants enjoyed fellowship, a pre-race warm up and a five-kilometre run along the shore of First Lake.

Funds raised from the Santa Shuffle stay in the community of each race. “Donations from our event are used to support the Army’s work with vulnerable children, youth and families in the North End community of Halifax,” says Major Terence Hale, executive director at the Halifax Centre of Hope and Santa Shuffle race director for Halifax.

With the Santa Shuffle taking place virtually in previous years due to pandemic restrictions, The Salvation Army was thrilled to return in-person for another fun, family-oriented and festive event in support of the Army’s local ministries.

Efforts from corps, ministry units, community volunteers, thrift stores and supporters resulted in another successful Christmas kettle campaign. In 2022, The Salvation Army raised $21.8 million from divisions across the Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Of this total, 98 National Recycling Operations thrift stores raised $341,265 from 76,000 donors who engaged in giving through their local stores. In addition, $2.3 million in donations were received through the tiptap function at the kettles, allowing donors to simply tap their debit or credit card rather