In a neighbourhood sandwiched between the Red River and the Perimeter Highway, an ordinary River Park South house becomes extraordinary at Christmas time.
Ken Gallant spent roughly 150 hours in the cold this year turning his house into Ken's Christmas Lights for Hope, once again raising money for the Children's Wish Foundation.
"I have been blessed with a lot of things in my life and I like to pay things forward. And I like to see smiles on people's faces," Gallant says.
Illuminating the smiles are more than 100,000 multicoloured lights strung across his entire home and yard.
"I would say on a busy weekend we could probably get 50 to 100 people. During the week (there are) 30 to 50 people," he says. "I kind of felt bad for my neighbours because they were waiting to get into their driveways."
He estimates that thousands of people have driven past his home to see the lights.
Gallant began decorating his home on 275 Aldgate Road for Christmas a decade ago stringing some lights along the roof. It quickly grew into something special, prompting people to ask him if he was doing it to raise money for anything. Two years later Gallant landed on the Children's Wish Foundation.
"I have two healthy children, but at the same time, you never know when an illness could strike a child. I thought this would be a great opportunity to help a child going through an illness."
His lights have faithfully gone up each year since then, raising roughly $25,000 in the last eight of them. Last year Gallant raised close to $6,000. He wants children to know "these lights are all giving you hope to get through whatever you are going through."
Tue, Apr 23, 1:20 PM
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