{"id":7279,"date":"2024-12-14T23:38:32","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T23:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2024\/12\/14\/give-back-if-you-can-winnipeg-man-decorates-home-to-fundraise-winnipeg\/"},"modified":"2024-12-14T23:38:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T23:38:32","slug":"give-back-if-you-can-winnipeg-man-decorates-home-to-fundraise-winnipeg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2024\/12\/14\/give-back-if-you-can-winnipeg-man-decorates-home-to-fundraise-winnipeg\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Give back if you can\u2019: Winnipeg man decorates home to fundraise – Winnipeg"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Christmas lights adorn Ken Gallant\u2019s home and yard like stars in The Milky Way. Glowing, shining, and colourful, they bounce to classic Christmas tunes, and battle for centre stage.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re at about 80,000 lights and about 40 plus creatures and growing,\u201d the St. Norbert \u2013 Seine River man said. Believe it or not, that\u2019s the scaled back version of his set-up compared to a couple years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were at over 100,000 lights,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what the future brings.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tKen Gallant stands in front of his home in Winnipeg.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tArsalan Saeed \/ Global News\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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Gallant started extravagantly dressing his home in this bright Christmas glory about 15 years ago. After three years, another light flickered on \u2014 this time, an idea even the Grinch couldn\u2019t sour at.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI remember somebody asking me if, at that time, if I was taking donations. At the time I wasn\u2019t. So that\u2019s when I picked Make-A-Wish Canada<\/a> for a charity to use for the lights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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He calls them \u201cKen\u2019s Christmas Lights for Hope,\u201d and, over 12 years, has raised nearly $30,000 for Make-A-Wish, which is an organization helping critically ill kids live out their wishes.<\/p>\n

He keeps a donation box on his driveway, but also has a QR code directing spectators to donate online.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tThe donation Box set in front of Ken Gallant\u2019s home in Winnipeg for Make-A-Wish Canada.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tArsalan Saeed \/ Global News\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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Gallant said Christmas donations have dwindled, but he\u2019s still dedicated to the cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever we make is more than they had before we started. So, yeah, we do what we can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard work getting ready for the season.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI would say altogether probably close to 100 hours it takes me. I do maybe an hour or two every day for a few months. So yeah, this year probably cost 200 hours to construct them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n