A little boy with a big heart knows the true meaning of Christmas, making a special donation to the family shelter Inn from the Cold. Eight-year-old Dexter Ronak dropped by the shelter’s annual winter open house on Saturday morning to sponsor the Inn’s Christmas dinner.
Dexter has a hard time seeing anyone in need. The image of panhandlers on Calgary streets remains with him long after others have forgotten.
“I just saw them when we were driving and I always got sad and I really wanted to help,” Dexter said on Saturday.
So the 8-year-old decided to do something about it. He went on a tour of Calgary’s Inn from the Cold after raising $700 for the family emergency shelter.
“Every time he sees someone who needs help or in line holding a sign that says they need help, he doesn’t ask us if we can help. He just starts digging in his wallet to help them,” said Dexter’s dad Kevin Ronak.
Dexter started with collecting bottles to reach his goal of providing a Christmas dinner for families and by spreading the word to family and friends, the donations started building up.
“He is such a fantastic little man. His heart is so big and I have to say, this is all him, this has nothing to do with us,” Ronak said.
The open house that the Ronak family took part in is an annual opportunity to give Calgarians a first-hand look at where vulnerable families find a safe place to stay.
“It was pretty hard to actually see the small rooms where a whole family would be. I mean I’m glad they have a place to come to but nobody wants to be there for long,” Ronak said.
There is room for 31 families at Inn from the Cold but they have been at or above capacity for most of the year with donations down this year by 20 per cent.
“We are the only place a family can walk up to 24 hours a day at two o’clock in the morning and they often do, when they’ve got nowhere to go,” Abe Brown, Inn from the Cold Executive Director, said. “And they are immediately placed and have that safety. It’s a scary thing to us because 62% of this year we’ve been at capacity or exceeded our capacity.”
As for Dexter, he’s just happy to take the pain he felt and transform it into hope for Calgary families.
“He sees the people on the street as people, which is how we need to see them,” said Dexter’s mom Lora. “He doesn’t think they belong there.”
The shelter will also accept donations to the adopt-a-family program, and items on the winter critical needs list.
The shelter will also accept donations to the adopt-a-family program, and items on the winter critical needs list.