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The Christmas Exchange - Le Partage de Noêl About Us
About Us  
Our Mission
Board of Directors
How We Began
Who We Are Now
What We Have Accomplished
Annual Report
How to Reach Us

Privacy Policy

Our Mission

To provide assistance to persons residing in the Ottawa area who are verifiably in a time of need, with primary emphasis on the Christmas Season.

Values:

The Christmas Exchange is a local charity dedicated to:
  • Delivering our services equitably and fairly, with dignity and respect
  • Providing our services as efficiently as possible
  • Being accountable to our clients, donors and the public
How We Began

In 1914, the local community came together to offer support at Christmas time to the families of those called to war. The following year the Christmas Exchange was created giving an opportunity for individuals and organizations to provide Christmas cheer to needy families. From 1915, through the great depression of the 1930s, the second World War, and up to present day, the Christmas Exchange has been bringing together those in need with those who wished to help.

Click here for a detailed history of the Christmas Exchange

Who We Are Now

The Christmas Exchange of Ottawa is a volunteer driven organization headed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Since 1915, Christmas Exchange has been delivering food and hope to eligible families referred each year by churches, schools and social agencies — those who know the need first hand. We also provide a central registry to cross reference clients and avoid duplication. This way we are able to ensure that every dollar goes where it is truly needed — distributed evenly and fairly. The Christmas Exchange is completely funded through the generosity of our donors. The service we provide our community is at no cost to the taxpayer or any level of government.

What We Have Accomplished

Christmas Exchange Comparative Campaign Results

Comparison 2009 2008 2007 2006
Total number of people helped directly by the Exchange 24,393 25,180 23,793 22,900
Number of Households 9,485 9,278 8,604 8,380
Number of Seniors 2,357 2,198 1,883 1,804
Total number of Children (under 18 years of age1) 10,414 11,278 10,967 10,502
Number of Children (12 and under) referred to the Toy Centre 11,031 11,702 11,305 11,508
Number of duplicates found 2,406 2,357 2,539 2,306
Community savings from processing duplicates $240,600** $235,700** $190,425* $172,950*

* Based on the average gift to families of $75
** Based on the average gift to families of $100

1. This does not include parents under 18 years of age.
  1. In 2009, the amount saved in toy assistance, thanks again to the duplicate check, was $497,400 (based on the average gift of $150 per child).
  2. When taking into consideration the cost of operating the Christmas Exchange Centralized Database, which was 12% of the overall program disbursement, the ratio of expenses to savings in 2009 was 1:15, or for every $1 spent, $15 was saved in the community, allowing for the donations from the public to go considerably further.
Annual Report

PDF Christmas Exchange 2009–2010 annual report (1.4 MB Adobe Acrobat PDF file)

Special Thanks

A successful campaign is the result of careful planning, volunteer effort, financial and in-kind contributions of hundreds of individuals and businesses. We extend our sincere thanks to our sponsors.

How to Reach Us

Mailing Address:   P.O. Box/c.p. 5167
Nepean, ON
K2C 3H4
Telephone: (613) 226-6434
Fax: (613) 226-7522
E-mail:


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