Evelyn Florendo reaches her 28th year of hosting parties for boys and girls in custody
By Laureen McMahon
The B.C. Catholic
VANCOUVER--Every December Evelyn Florendo plays Santa Claus to detained youth at the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre.
Florendo, a 4-foot-11 octogenarian dynamo, has a compassionate heart for boys and girls who have run afoul of the law. For 28 years she has organized volunteers and called on businesses to donate time and resources so incarcerated youth can enjoy a festive Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and receive a present.
Nearly 70 boys and girls sat patiently at tables in the custody services gymnasium Dec. 13, waiting to get in line for turkey, pizza, drinks, and desserts handed out by a legion of volunteers.
Former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm, his wife Lillian, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, and former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan visited with the boys and girls and joined them for dinner.
In the corner stood gift bags crammed with magazines, toiletries, games, and books which Florendo passed out before the conclusion of the program of music and entertainment.
“Many of these children,” she told The B.C. Catholic, “are victims of broken homes, alcoholic parents, and abuse. They are emotionally fragile, disturbed, and confused. Some have even been forsaken by their own parents. To some, Christmas is a terribly sad and bitter occasion.”
Florendo loves to see the reaction of the young people when they receive their gift. “The reward is watching their eyes light up when they realize that someone cares,” she said.
In 1984 Florendo was a widow raising four teenagers when she read about young offenders committing suicide in jail. “The story went to my heart. I was praying so hard to make sure my children would be all right without their dad,” she said.
She wrote a letter asking how she could help, and centre director Gordon Hogg invited her to meet him. “He saw that I was sincere and asked me to take the Oath of Secrecy for those working with youth.”
Florendo used her three weeks of vacation time to plan a Christmas party. She brought in volunteers to prepare and serve the meal and organized a program with guest speakers and entertainment.
That first party, Florendo said, turned out to be a great success, with centre staff enthusiastically joining in.
Florendo promised the youth that she would return the next day with presents. She was exhausted when she got home but she stayed up all night sorting toiletries, playing cards, sports magazines, comics, and candies for the gift bags.
“On Christmas morning I asked my son Ernest to come and help me distribute the gifts. The security guards met us and took us to the cells. As Ernest handed each one a gift, I gave them a hug and whispered in their ear, ‘I love you.’”
One youngster, said Florendo, told her that it was the first time he remembered getting a Christmas present. He was 12.
After the Christmas party was over, Florendo was obviously tired, but her eyes shone with satisfaction.
“Thanks to God for giving me the strength to provide a Christmas for these children,” she told The B.C. Catholic. “I count myself so lucky to have my own wonderful family, and I am also blessed to have family here at the custody centre with the great staff, volunteers, guests, and, of course, the boys and girls.”
