Photo (left to right): Aman Ghirra, Micheal Ghirra, Janet Lauman, Kal Mahal and Michele Caplan.
Just before the holidays Richardson Elementary received an unexpected surprise. A local family stopped by with an unexpected donation of $1000.00 in gift cards to be included in hampers the school was preparing for families in need in Delta.
The donation was made in honour of Victor Ghirra, who passed away at the age of 37. A heart-warming story that depicted Victor’s character was how he would buy thousands of dollars worth of toys every Christmas and go to Children’s Hospital to donate them to needy children. When they would ask, “Who are you and where are these toys from?” Victor would simply reply, “It doesn’t matter who I am or where I am from, these toys are for the kids and that’s all you need to know.”
After he passed, it was discovered that Victor had made trips to the hospital for over a dozen years.
“It doesn’t matter who I am or where I am from, these toys are for the kids and that’s all you need to know.”
Janet Lauman, Richardson Elementary Principal, explains, ”one of our teachers, Michele Caplan is friends with Kal Mahal, who is connected to the Ghirra’s annual charity drive. The family continues to give back to communities in the lower mainland in a myriad of ways, and this year they chose to help us.”