Making a gift wish come true

By Matt Trotman
CHRISTMAS will be a little brighter this year for those in need after the launch of the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal at Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre last week.
Casey mayor Kevin Bradford, students from local secondary schools and Kmart staff, joined forces with the Salvation Army to encourage locals to donate to a worthy cause.
Leanne Persoons of Kmart Cranbourne said the launch was a success. “It was a great turnout,” she said.
“Santa Claus was there handing out lollies to the kids and everyone got right into the spirit.”
Students from Lyndhurst Secondary College and Cranbourne Secondary College issued a challenge to see which school could collect the most gifts.
“There is lots of rivalry between the two schools,” Ms Persoons said, “so this was a great way for the two to compete while helping people in need.”
The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal is an annual event that provides Christmas gifts to families who would otherwise go without.
Last year Kmart Cranbourne collected 1660 gifts to distribute throughout the local area and this year they are aiming for 2000.
Ms Persoons said that at present the gift pile was small however it is early days.
“So far it’s a slow start,” she said. “Next week we have our Christmas launch and that’s when we expect it to really start firing away.”
The Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal runs until Christmas Eve.