In Montreal, Michaël Maltais and Mike Keating are spreading holiday cheer by donating around $10,000 worth of gifts to children from Youth Protection Services. This year, they are wrapping 100 toys for kids aged 7 to 17, including special requests like oversized stuffed animals. Supported by friends and local businesses, their festive brunch event marks six years of generosity, ensuring these children feel valued and loved during Christmas. Their initiative inspires others to promote kindness throughout Quebec.
Montreal’s Generous Hearts: A Holiday Initiative
In the vibrant city of Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier is often seen running through its streets, with his office packed in a backpack, always on the lookout for intriguing stories and diverse individuals. His urban chronicles reflect a deep curiosity about the lives and backgrounds of the people he encounters.
This holiday season, an altruistic couple, Michaël Maltais and Mike Keating, is set to spread joy by distributing approximately $10,000 in gifts, consisting of 100 toys valued at $100 each, to children from the Youth Protection Services who will be spending Christmas apart from their families. The task of purchasing and wrapping such a substantial number of gifts is no small feat.
Gift Wrapping Wonderland
As I step into the living room of Maltais and Keating, I am greeted by a mountain of gifts. The sofas are piled high with boxes containing everything from Polaroid cameras and Lego sets to clothing and kitchen gadgets. There’s a little something for every young person aged 7 to 17, including those preparing to move into their own apartments.
Among the treasures, a large sloth plush toy peeks out from a plastic bag. “A child wrote to me saying they wanted a stuffed animal bigger than a person, and this is what I found!” Michaël Maltais, 45, exclaims while deftly curling a ribbon with scissors.
“My 13-year-old daughter, Bénédicte, will join Michaël during the distribution to help connect with the shyer kids,” shares Valérie Brochu, a longtime friend who has come to support the cause. As a library employee in Laval, she diligently maintains an Excel sheet to keep track of the gifts.
“We can’t afford to overlook any child!” Maltais emphasizes, as he juggles his role as a project manager in human resources at Hawkesbury hospital.
A Community Celebration
The excitement will culminate on Sunday at noon with a festive brunch, where the couple will distribute the gifts to the children from the Youth Protection Services. This heartwarming event is generously hosted by the employees of Europea restaurant, led by Jérôme Ferrer. This marks the sixth consecutive year that Maltais and Keating have dedicated themselves to fulfilling the wishes of these children.
“When we got married six years ago, we requested cash donations instead of wedding gifts to help purchase Christmas presents for the kids,” recounts Maltais, who is also an adoptive father to a teenager from the Youth Protection Services.
For the past five years, Maltais and Keating have been personally financing the gifts, ensuring that each child feels loved during the holidays.
The Countdown to Joy
“Once we receive the letters from the Youth Protection Services detailing the children’s requests, we have about three weeks to gather all the gifts,” Maltais explains. “It’s a challenge, especially since some kids prefer multiple smaller items.”
Support from friends has been invaluable, with some refusing to accept reimbursement for their contributions. “There are already around twenty gifts wrapped and waiting on my desk downtown, and my colleagues can’t help but tease me!” laughs Keating, 50, who serves as vice president of mergers and acquisitions at CGI.
Assunta Gallo, director of youth protection at CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, shares her thoughts: “This Christmas brunch and the gifts create magical moments for these young people in need. It’s one of the most beautiful times of the year for me, too!”
Let this inspiring story encourage others to replicate the wonderful initiative of the Maltais-Keating couple throughout Quebec, spreading kindness and joy during the holiday season.