This holiday season, Autism Family Friends (AFF) and Watermelon Sessions came together to spread warmth, joy, and community spirit through our Milk & Cookies Toy & Book Drive.

On Sunday, December 7th, families gathered for a cozy, sensory-friendly afternoon filled with:

• ✨ A festive Christmas photoshoot with adorable props

• 🎨 Sensory bottle activity, colouring, playdoh and interactive dance

• 🍪 Nut-free treats, milk, cookies and ciders

• 💬 Plenty of opportunities to connect and celebrate together

The highlight of the day was seeing families shop for treasures at the Toy Shop, knowing that 100% of proceeds went directly to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Thanks to their generous matching partners, every dollar raised will be matched dollar-for-dollar as part of the Light a Life holiday campaign—doubling the impact of our community’s kindness.

📸 Special Thanks

• Perlla Photography for capturing beautiful, Santa-free holiday portraits in our cozy photo zone. THEN, taking her generosity an extra step by gifting each family 5 edited photos of their choice.

• Watermelon Sessions team for not only partnering with us but also baking all the delicious treats, providing the sensory bottle activity and bringing in many toys that got toy shop started. Thank you for also provided the delicious Creek & Gully cider

• Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and their matching partners for amplifying the generosity of every donation.

• Our incredible volunteers for giving their time and energy to make the event welcoming and smooth—from manning the doors to greet families, hosting the kids activity area, assisting with toy/book donation intake, and setting up the Toy Store. Their dedication brought the event to life.

• And most importantly, all the families that attended - their warmth and participation made this event truly special!