The Annual Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) Children’s Christmas Party brought a Caribbean Christmas to children

BY: SHAUNA-KAY CASSELL

The Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) held their Annual Children’s Christmas Party at the JCA center for children of all ages on December 9^th, 2018. Approximately 75 children and their parents from the Greater Toronto Area joined in the Christmas celebration, planned by a committee made up of four members: Natalee Johnson, Director, Children and Youth Affairs, Natasha Douglas, Kendra Douglas-Gannon, and Atavia Malandrino.

Three of the members of the planning committee were relatives of the late Mrs. Raphaelita Walker. She and her husband, Mr. Gifford Walker have been active members of the JCA for over forty years. Since that time, they have consistently played the role of Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the children’s Christmas party. Mrs. Walker, or more familiarly known as Aunt Raph, passed away over a year ago. But, the seed of community building and the gift of giving had already been sown. “It was like she knew the time was coming,” said Douglas. Now, Douglas, her sister, and cousin teamed up with Johnson to start planning at the beginning of the year in an effort to continue Aunt Raph’s legacy of serving the community. “JCA is not just a hub, it’s a family, and a place where legacies are left behind. The Christmas party is a great example of that legacy,” says Johnson referring to the Walkers and the generation that has come after them, who are still involved in the JCA. “My mom brought me, and I brought my children, who are now 20 and 16 years old. Now I want other children to have the same experience” affirmed Douglas.

The planning committee gave the children a Caribbean themed Christmas party. The hall was filled with children enjoying the various activities including; selfie kiosk organized by the Founder, Angella Smith, arts and crafts led by volunteers, and the folk performance by Ms. Letna, the Jamaican folk performer. Ms. Letna, adorned in her traditional costume, brought the Caribbean experience to the children by telling them stories about Christmas in Jamaica, intentionally speaking in her native dialect, Patois. “We wanted children of color/Caribbean to see a proper representation of themselves and their culture,” said Douglas. There was even a black Santa who distributed gifts to the children, and the reggae Christmas music appropriately set the ambiance for the theme. All of which, made it feel like we were in fact on the island of Jamaica.

The Jamaican Canadian Association’s (JCA) mission is to deliver programs, including services to the community. The organization provides a physical hub, and advocates to improve the well‐being and equity of Jamaican, Caribbean and African‐Canadian communities within the Greater Toronto Area. It is a volunteer-led organization and has existed for over 56 years. The organization hosts a number of events throughout the year for the community, including the Annual Children’s Christmas party. In an effort to support families who could not afford to send their children, JCA sponsored six children. “Adaoma Patterson, the president of the JCA, was very instrumental and made a big difference,” expanded Douglas.

The Christmas party was truly a big success this year, and the team really worked hard to deliver a memorable experience for the children. “We couldn’t have planned the Christmas party without the help of our volunteers and sponsors,” says Douglas and her team. “It was great to have them there. Thank you to all.”