River Rock security guard pays it forward to the Richmond Christmas Fund
Richmond Canada December 21 2018
River Rock Casino security guard Kevin Shaw has a very special reason for giving back to the Richmond Christmas Fund every year. Photo submitted
It may have been more than 30 years ago, but Kevin Shaw still remembers the day the Richmond Christmas Fund stepped up to save…well…Christmas.
Shaw was seven years old when he recalls his father being laid off from his job and, with his mom at home looking after three young kids, that Christmas was looking pretty bleak for all concerned.
“I remember the Christmas Fund and the Salvation Army stepping up with a Christmas hamper and a few toys,” Shaw, a security guard at the River Rock Casino, told the Richmond News.
“If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have had much of a Christmas.”
Shaw told the Christmas Fund volunteers that he could still recall the exact gifts he and his sisters received that year. That was the only year they had to seek assistance.
It’s for that very reason that Shaw puts a little money aside throughout the year so, come Christmas time, he can give back to the Richmond charity that helped his family in their time of need.
And, recently, as he does every year for many years, Shaw made a monetary and toy donation to the Christmas Fund’s annual drive-thru at his casino, where hundreds of toys pile up around a giant Christmas tree.
“I feel it’s important to give back, all year round, not just at Christmas,” he added.
“It’s not what you give or how much, even if it’s just a little, it all goes a long way; there are always people that benefit from it.
“It’s a lot of fun to give back and Christmas time is all about giving. And if can make one kid smile a little, then it’s all worth it.”
