The London Santa Claus Parade provides support for many charitable organizations.
Last year 14,742 lbs of food was collected for the London Food Bank and nearly 2,700 new Teddy Bears were donated to the London Salvation Army..
Donations were also given to Shriner organizations which support Children in Hospitals across Canada. Woman's Rural Resource Centre which provides support services for women and children impacted by abuse.
And, My Sisters Place which provides support for woman that deal with a variety of issues such as trauma, mental illness, addiction, poverty, abuse, isolation and physical health issues.
------------------------------------------------
DID YOU KNOW?
The London Santa Claus Parade has over 100,000 live spectators in attendance and receives over 50,000 website visitors .
------------------------------------------------
DID YOU KNOW?
The organizers are volunteers that spend countless hours away from family to produce a parade for the children of London. The parade is not Government funded and relies solely on corporate sponsorships and community participation to survive - Sponsors and Participants are still needed.
London Transit is Offering FREE rides for kids to the Santa Claus Parade November 11, 2011
By By HANK DANISZEWSKI, The London Free Press
London Transit is once again providing free bus service to kids headed to the Santa Claus parade on Saturday.
The free fares apply on all regular routes to children who qualify to pay child's fare (age 5 -- Grade 6) and are accompanied by an adult between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Children under five ride free. Parents are encouraged to travel with their children on regular LTC bus routes to the parade to avoid traffic and parking challenges.
The 55th annual parade starts at 6 p.m. at the corner of Dundas and Egerton Streets and makes its way 3.3 kilometres down Dundas to Ridout St.
London Santa Claus Parade on Saturday, plan accordingly
November 4, 2011
By METRO LONDON
The 2011 Santa Claus Parade is scheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m., and London police have released some traffic notes to keep in mind.
To allow the parade floats to organize, police will close Dundas Street between Highbury Avenue and Egerton Street starting at 4 p.m.
Intersections will be shut down progressively westbound from Dundas Street and Kellogg Lane just prior to the beginning of the parade and depending on the size of the crowd.
For example: Intersections along Dundas from the start of the parade to Adelaide Street will likely be blocked by 5:45 p.m.
The parade will last approximately two hours concluding at Ridout Street between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Santa parade will march on despite financial woes November 7, 2011
By Jonathon Brodi of London Community News
This year’s Santa Clause parade is expected to see more red than usual with organizers facing financial concerns without the backing of a major sponsor.
This is the first time in the Christmas parade’s 55-year existence that it won’t have a major sponsor to help cover some of the costs.
“I think it’s more just the economic times that a lot of places are just cutting back on their budgets,” said Shaun Merton, co-chairman of the London Santa Claus Parade.
Smaller donations from local businesses have also gone down, added Merton.
“The group has really, seriously decided that we need to do some different type of fundraising because we’ve always done it by donations and corporate sponsors,” Merton said. “The cost of insurance, the cost of entertainment and the bands, the clowns and the entertainers that come, they all cost a lot of money.”
To help scale back on some of the costs, Merton has had to cancel some of the bands he started booking a year ago for the event or has asked entertainment if they will play for less money.
“A lot of our bands have worked with us on pricing that we’ve dealt with for years. A lot of them cut their prices back so they could come to the parade,” Merton said. “When you got a band that will come to the parade just to come to your parade, they must really like coming here.”
One of the major reasons London’s Santa Claus Parade will continue regardless of its financial situations is because of all the help that it gives to local charities, Merton said.
Last year, 14,742 pounds of food was collected for the London Food Bank and almost 2,700 new teddy bears were donated to the London Salvation Army.
“The parade starts the holiday season but the big things is it effects so many charities in the city,” Merton said. “The Food Bank, the Salvation Army, the Women’s Community Centre, the Women’s Resource Centre and all those places, that if (the parade) wasn’t on, those places would be lesser to their cause.”
The parade starts at 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 and will run for approximately 60 to 90 minutes.
The parade begins on Egerton and Dundas streets and will travel west on Dundas, ending on Ridout Street.
-------------------------------------------------------------
London Santa Claus Parade may be slimming back on entertainment November 4, 2011
By CTV London
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 25, 2011
THIS YEAR’S LONDON SANTA CLAUS PARADE IS
LESS THAN A MONTH AWAY!
Saturday November 12th.
Starting at 6 p.m.
In a little less than a month jolly old Santa Claus will make his annual official visit to London as the guest of honor in the London
Santa Claus Parade to be held Saturday November 12th starting in East London at 6 p.m. The parade has been organized by groups of
dedicated volunteers for over 50 years.
While the parade starts at the corner of Egerton and Dundas streets and heads west shortly after 6 p.m. it will not arrive at the termination
point just east of Dundas and Ridout Streets until approximately one and one half hours later. The parade will arrive at different
times at different viewing positions along the parade route.
There is still time for local businesses, clubs and individual family and church groups to register an entry to be in the parade and details are available at the parade website www.londonsantaclausparade.ca
One of the major reasons the parade is held each year is for the annual London and Area Food Bank collection They will be on hand to accept your donations of non-perishable food items so please help the Food Bank help those in need.
Last year the parade organizers, a group of volunteers who put in countless hours of work each year to bring the parade to London, held the first annual Teddy Bear Toss. It’s going to happen again this year and kids are invited to bring a new, unwrapped Teddy Bear to toss to the group gathering them up along the parade route.
Over 2,700 Teddies were donated by the parade organizers to the London
Salvation Army last year to go into their Christmas baskets for the less fortunate. The organizing committee is hoping they can top that number this year.
Again this year members of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority will be collecting “Toonies” and other coins to help defray some parade costs and to raise money for the sorority’s official charities. Those Toonies the kids drop into the Santa hats on poles do a lot of good.
Spectators are reminded only to donate cash into the Santa hats on the poles carried by the members of the sorority as there have been
imposters collecting cash prior to and during the parade in the past. You can’t miss the official Toonie Toss - it is well marked and the ladies wear vests identifying them as an official parade-sanctioned collection.
The parade committee does not allow collections along the parade route for any items or groups other than those sanctioned by the parade committee i.e.: Food Bank, Teddy Bear Toss and Toonie Toss.
The parade may be have to be a little leaner this year due to the fact that there still are no official sponsors to this date and donations from local industry and businesses have not been as forthcoming as in previous years. The parade would really appreciate donations of any size to help with this year’s cost.
The committee is still hoping that one or more local businesses or individuals will step up and become a major sponsor so that this year’s parade may be bigger and better! Bands, professional entertainment and insurance are the major costs for each year’s parade and the sponsorships are needed cover these costs.
Organizations can also sponsor a band if they wish and again details are available on the parade website.
Spectators are advised not to try to view the parade from any point east of Dundas and Egerton streets as this is the form-up area and not all the parade participants enter the parade route from the same position. If you watch east of the official start point you will miss some things, perhaps even Santa himself!
Also spectators are advised not to gather at the corner of Dundas and Ridout streets as this is the breakup point of the parade and individuals are trying to dismount floats and other entries before moving along Ridout Street.
The parade committee has already hired a number of top-notch bands and professional entertainers to make this year’s parade a great family event.
Join the thousands of London and Southwestern Ontario families who make the official London Santa Claus Parade an annual event.
Santa will be looking for you!
London Santa Claus Parade Donates 2,700 Teddy Bear to the Salvation Army November 24, 2010
By HAROLD MERTON - London Santa Claus Parade
This year's version of the annual London Santa Claus Parade brought in nearly 2,700 Teddy Bears that the parade committee has donated to the London Salvation Army Toy Drive. In keeping with this year's parade theme "A Teddy Bear Christmas", parade organizers held a Teddy Bear Toss along the parade route where parade watchers had the opportunity of donating a Teddy. Those bears will go to the less fortunate this Christmas Season through the distribution of the Salvation Army.
(Photo by Harold Merton)
Gathered among the bins of Teddy Bears at the Salvation Army's Centre of Hope are left to right: Shaun Merton, Parade Co-Chairman, Debra Johnson, Community Services Magager for the Salvation Army, Jodi Bryans, Customer Relations Manager at Ray Cullen Chevrolet (representing the three London GM dealers who were major sponsors of this year's parade) and Martin Grant of Ray Cullen Chevrolet.
London’s GM dealerships have banded together to make the event happen November 3, 2010
By JOE BELANGER - The London Free Press
Lights, decorations, bands, clowns, candy and a jolly ole’ man in red will light up downtown London for the 54th annual Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 13.
And it should be a blast after London’s three GM dealerships — Ray Cullen, Brian Finch and MacMaster — banded together to fill the void left when last year’s major sponsor chose not to renew.
The theme of this year’s parade is A Teddy Bear Christmas and will feature a teddy bear toss in which spectators are invited to throw teddy bears to be donated to the Salvation Army’s annual toy drive.
“We’ve been looking for an event to sponsor and got wind that the parade needed some help this year and we thought it was a good event,” said Sara Snowden, general manager of MacMaster GM.
“Everyone loves the Santa Claus parade. We thought we could make a difference and hopefully we will for years to come.”
Organizers were worried the lack of a major sponsor would mean less entertainment, including fewer bands.
“We’re just thrilled the GM dealerships stepped forward,” said Shaun Merton, co-chair and director of operations and media relations. “Here are a group of local people putting up their own money to ensure we have a great event.”
Other key sponsors include Corus Radio and London Life.
“It is only through the support of fine London businesses such as these that the group of volunteers who each year put on the parade are able to have the quality components that make for such a spectacular and happy evening for the children of London and Southwestern Ontario,” said Merton, adding 10 bands, marching or on floats, will perform. As many as 25 to 30 floats are expected.
“The phone has been ringing off the hook since the dealerships stepped forward,” said Merton, adding there’s still room for floats since some companies, hit hard by the recession, are still trying to recover and are unable to participate.
Merton reminds Londoners the parade will be a collection point for two charities: a Teddy Bear toss hoping to catch 10,000 of the soft, furry critters to help the Salvation Army’s Toy Drive and collections for the London Food Bank.
There also will be a Toonie Toss to help recover the costs of the parade.
It's only been one day since we dressed up as ghouls and goblins, and already Christmas is creeping back into our conversation. The Santa Claus parade has become an annual tradition in London. But as Priya Mann reported on /A\ News at Six, this year things may have been scaled way back due to a lack of funds Click here to watch video
The London Santa Clause Parade Committee is excited to announce that Your London GM Dealerships have Saved the 54th Annual London Santa Clause Parade!
Parade organizers have the same problems each year raising enough funding to cover the thousands of dollars needed to put on a parade of this calibre.
The cost of bands, entertainment, insurance and components needed for each parade continue to rise but donations from local businesses and the general public are increasingly more difficult to acquire each year. The current state of the economy only hinders things even more.
Parade organizers had resigned themselves to the fact that without a major sponsor this year there would either have to be fewer bands and entertainment in the parade or the parade would have had to be canvelled all together.
We are happy to say that 3 General Motors dealerships have tied their sponsorship of the Santa Claus Parade into a special promotion this year and have stepped in to put this year’s edition into the big leagues.
Ray Cullen, Brian Finch and McMaster GM have combined thier resources to create a major sponsorship for this year’s parade.
This GM dealership sponsorship has allowed the volunteer organizing committee to book additional bands and entertainmentfor the November 13, 2010 parade.
The GM dealers join our previously announced supporters including Corus Radio; FM96, FResh FM and AM980 along with London Life who’s participation enables the parade to have much needed promotion and financial support that not only assists the parade but also funds participation of groups who otherwise might not be able to be a part of the event.
It is only through the support of fine London businesses such as these that the group of volunteers who each year put on the parade are able to have the quality components that make for such spectacular and happy evening for the children of London and Southwestern Ontario.
Special Thanks also go to GoodLife Fitness, McDonalds & Pizza Pizza for their continued support.
We ask those who enjoy the parade this year to make a point of thanking the GM dealers of London (Ray Cullen, Brian Finch and McMaster GM) and the other major sponsors for their consideration and community support.
Scammers Rip-Off London Santa Claus Parade
November 29, 2010
London Topic.ca News
A group of approximately eight people infiltrated the London Santa Claus Parade route and collected money and toys, literally ripping off the local parade and the various charities the annual event benefits.
The group of unauthorized collectors wearing badges for a Canadian registered charity called Kare for Kids, hit the parade route before and during the 2009 parade, "confusing parade watchers with the official Toonie Toss collection and our authorized Toy Drive," said Harold Merton, senior advisor with the London Santa Claus Parade.
Merton said parade organizers estimate the scammers got away with between $4,000 and $6,000 in cash donations, placed in one gallon, lidless paint cans, but they also fraudulently collected toys from parade watchers looking to donate to the toy drive.
"When you take toys from kids, that's the part that really bugs us," Merton said, adding in one case, a woman scammer took two dolls from two little girls who were waiting for the parade to start. The children had brought the dolls for donation to the authourized toy drive, but the female scammer took the dolls under false pretences then walked up the street and sold the dolls to another man for $20.
Parade organizers said this is not the first time this has happened. "We have apparently been targeted for several years by the same group but had never been able to catch any of them until this year," Merton said.
Though one of the fraudulent collectors was caught and detained until police arrived, "the fact they say they work for this charity makes it difficult to handle," Merton said. "If one penny of the money collected gets to the charity's head office, then it's legit."
Organizers of the London Santa Claus Parade contacted Kare for Kids head office in Toronto, and it was confirmed that they do have regional operators in the London area. However, Merton noted that despite the parade having rules that require charities to have permission to collect during the parade, Kare for Kids never received such permission.
In addition, when parade organizers contacted the head office of Kare for Kids, the organization first denied collecting funds in the manner in which it was done during the parade, but then later back-pedalled and claimed the open paint cans were in fact used at the London parade because the money was being collected so fast.
"We're still confused as to whether any of the collected money ever reached the charity's head office in Toronto," parade organizers said.
"The result is hundreds of people put money intended for the parade collection and our charities into the outsiders' paint cans and gave up toys brought for the needy to these collectors who asked for the toys, only to have them head out of town with their loot after the parade," Merton said.
Just two weeks ago, a report in the Sudbury Star indicated that police in that area suspect a raffle operating under the guise of the same Kare for Kids charity was likely a scam.
According to Sudbury police, the charity's head office denied involvement in the raffle and in a confirmed statement said that "Kare for Kids no longer include raffles, as they deal mostly with donation boxes at pre-approved locations." In addition, police said the charity had not obtained a licence for an active raffle for the Sudbury area.
Despite attempts by LondonTopic.ca to contact Kare for Kids in Toronto, no representative with the organization was available for comment.
London parade organizers are hoping to find a way to prevent this scam from happening next year. Toonie Toss collectors will be located at the back of the parade, wearing official fundraiser aprons and carrying Santa hats on poles for you to drop your donations into. The collection vehicle accompanying the fundraisers is well marked and has appropriate signage, organizers said.
Anyone who feels they may have been scammed by one of these apparent Kare for Kids representatives is asked to contact parade organizers by e-mail (see link). Please include details of the incident including a physical description of the person who made the collection along with contact information so parade organizers can reach you.
