Cambridge Bay business delivers a sweet Christmas to local youngsters

Kinder Eggs line a table in the Kullik Ilihakvik school library Dec. 10, donated by a Cambridge Bay business. (PHOTO COURTESY OF KALVIK ENTERPRISES)

A Cambridge Bay business treated local students to sweets and a little Christmas cheer this week.

This was the 10th year that Kalvik Enterprises has stocked up on hundreds of treats, then given them to students at Kullik Ilihakvik school.

Peter Laube, who owns the local construction company with his wife Helen, said the tradition grew from an idea of the couple’s young daughter Kassidy.

“When our daughter went to kindergarten, she wanted to bring some snacks for her friends, so to be fair, we got snacks for her entire class,” Laube said.

“Then we find out that the other kindergarten and Grade 1 classes were upset because they didn’t get anything,” he explained. “So the next year, we bought a treat for everyone.

“And it just grew from there.”

On Dec. 10, the Laube family stacked hundreds of juice boxes, candy canes, chocolate and freezies on a table in the school library, while students lined up for a turn to collect some sweets.

“The students are all jumpy and smiley,” Laube said. “The teachers all enjoy it too.”

While the family normally has the Christmas loot shipped up, the airlines were backlogged this year, Laube said, and everything was purchased locally. Laube’s daughter Kassidy, now a grade 10 student, always helps distribute the gifts.

The Laubes also gave out a handful of door prizes that were raffled off this year that included boxes of chocolates and wooden trucks.

Leftovers from the Dec. 10 event were then delivered to the local social services building, where they were distributed to younger children and other families in need.

“That’s why we do it, so every kid has a little bit of something,” Laube said.