K-W Santa Claus Parade seeking more student volunteers this year

The K-W Santa Claus Parade takes place on Saturday, Nov. 18 starting at 10 a.m. This year organizers involved with the parade have said that they are lacking the required amount of student volunteers in order to have the parade run smoothly.

Jack Bishop of Lions Club of Kitchener said “We are in dire need of more volunteers to help us put the parade down the street. We need especially older students that can help us wear decorative costumes in the parade to entertain the kids. As well as holding some of our signage that names the bands and sponsors.”

Bishop said that they are starting to panic because of the shortage of volunteers this year and that Lions Club of Kitchener is encouraging parents to let their children volunteer and get involved.

“It’s good for the kids as they’ll get a great experience. It’s also great for later on when they get to higher education and when they start working.” stated Bishop.

There are many sponsorships for the parade this year however, and Bishop said this is a good thing as running the parade can get costly.

“It costs us between 10 and 12 thousand dollars to pay the bands to come and participate in the parades. There are lots of other expenses that we have to have to put the parade down the street. You have to take in a lot of money in sponsorships just to break even.” Bishop said.

If you are interested in taking part in this year’s K-W Santa Claus parade or would like to volunteer you can learn more here.