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Danielle Sachs
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, December 20, 2012

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Sometimes the greatest gifts are actions and one Yellowknifer is trying to show a way to reflect on and honour those actions.

Members of the Catholic Womens' League hold some of the good deeds they've accomplished this year that were put into the parish sparkle box. Back row, from left, Cora Blanchette, Nene Santos and Barb McDonald. Front row, from left, Delia Weir, Barb Needham, Theresa Hickey and Louise Boettger. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photo

Inspired by a television show, 100 Huntley Street, Yellowknife resident and member of the Catholic Womens' League, Barb Needham, is bringing a little sparkle into her life this Christmas.

As a way to reflect on good deeds done through the year, Needham has started a sparkle box.

"Let's say you volunteer for the SideDoor, you could write that down and put it in the box," said Needham. "You can do this through the year and when it's Christmas you look through the box and reflect on all the good things you've done."

This is the first year Needham has decided to create a sparkle box for her home, but she has also started one with the Catholic Womens' League at St. Patrick Parish who have been reflecting on organizations they have helped through the year, both at home and abroad.

"It's to honour Jesus Christ," said Needham. "It's a way of honouring the creator and our existence on this Earth."

You don't have to be a regular church member to appreciate and start your own sparkle box, said Needham.

"I thought for the elderly or for those that are widowed or divorced, they may be very lonely and they may feel very rejected. It's just such a blast of light, it creates a thoughtfulness. You recognize throughout the year you gave countless gifts," she said.

The sparkle box on display Tuesday night was covered in silver paper and filled with different slips of paper illustrating a small portion of what the Catholic Womens' League has volunteered for during 2012. There's the silhouette of a dog, with SPCA written on it and a cut-out of a building with SideDoor scrawled along the side.

"There are needs in Yellowknife that have a definite calling, for example the aboriginal community needs a lot of support. The homeless people need help, the day shelter, Salvation Army, the SPCA, the hospital. There are all kinds of areas that need help financially. But not everything needs to be given financially," said Needham. "In my heart, I really wanted people to be given this opportunity to recognize how valuable and what a gift they are to the world," she said.

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