Nine-year-old Charlotte Shemko has been collecting toys on her birthday for other needy children in the city. (Photo Courtesy Kevin Kyle)

By Gates Guarin

Collected 131 toys this year alone

Nine-year-old Charlotte Shemko helps donate toys for needy children

Nov 25, 2022 | 10:55 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The holiday season is only just beginning, but one young member of our community is doing what she can to make sure as many kids in the city can have a toy under the tree for Christmas.

Nine year old Charlotte Shemko has been collecting toys for donation since she was two years old. Every year on her birthday, which falls close to Christmas, instead of asking for gifts for herself, she asks that friends and family buy toys so they can be donated to other children in need.

“I think just some families out there don’t have a lot as we do, so we can help them by giving them presents and supporting them.”

Charlotte says she has a lot already for a nine year old, and this is her way of giving back to kids and families who may not be able to have a present on Christmas day.

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“I feel like I am helping basically everyone in Medicine Hat,” Charlotte says.

This year, Charlotte was able to donate 131 toys totalling $3,400 to the Santa Claus Fund.

The drop-in service has been helping low-income families for the past 36 years. Charlotte’s toy donation will go a long way for children during the holidays, as qualified families will receive two toys, a board game, a stuffed animal and a book. Executive director Deanna Doerksen says Charlotte’s donation, along with the community’s support will provide some much-needed financial relief for families.

“The need for our services has increased by double over the last six years,” Doerksen says. “Six years ago, we were serving 700 children at Christmas, and last year was 1,472 children, and this year we’re expecting that number to be even greater.”

Charlotte is already thinking about next year, and how many more kids and families she can help out with her toy donations.