Gorman Christmas party collects thousands

December 21, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Young mothers in York Region will have a merrier Christmas and a happier New Year thanks to the generosity of hundreds who came out to Aw, Shucks! on December 9 to the annual Christmas party hosted by Joe Gorman.

Gorman, who once served as pastor of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, maintains his close connection with the Aurora community after leaving the priesthood in 2015 and hosts his party each year.

Guests were encouraged to bring gift cards and other forms of donation to be distributed to local causes, particularly Rose of Sharon Services for Young Mothers, which is based in Newmarket.

“It’s Christmas and we recognize people are in need during this season,” Mr. Gorman told the assembled crowd. “We come together to celebrate with good cheer and good eats. I want to thank all of you for coming, all walks of life, and at the end of the day, the charity at hand is receiving not only a lot of money, but also a lot of care and attention.”

By this past Monday, December 19, the numbers were crunched and Mr. Gorman told The Auroran he estimates approximately $10,000 was collected in total, including $5,000 in cheques, which were sent directly to Rose of Sharon, and a further $5,000 in gift cards, which were sent to area schools.