Annual toy drive held in honour of Calgary officer Sgt. Andrew Harnett
The 3rd annual Fill the Sgt. Andrew Harnett Rink Toy Drive was held Sunday.
KidsPlay Foundation Calgary hosted the annual event in honour of Sgt. Andrew Harnett who was killed while on duty on New Year’s Eve 2020.
Harnett was conducting a traffic stop when he was dragged by an SUV, falling into the path of an oncoming car.
“He was one of these guys that did everything for the community, he was very well known within the district five community,” said Sgt. Paban Dhaliwal.
The goal is to ensure every child has a gift to open on Christmas Day. Donations were collected at the community skating rink, renamed in Harnett’s memory.
“Get to give back to the community and the kids can’t get Christmas gifts, I think it's a really good thing to give it to them,” said Ravetj Dhadda, who donated gifts.
In its first year more than 1,300 toys were collected at the Fill the Sgt. Andrew Harnett Memorial Rink Toy Drive.
Last year, 1,025 toys were collected. Organizers hoped to collect 1,225 this year: 12 for the month of December and 25 for the day they will be given out.
Sgt. Andrew Harnett is shown in a handout photo from the Calgary Police Service. (CPS handout)
Representatives from several law enforcement agencies, along with the Calgary Stampeders and the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations, were also on hand.
“He loved kids, he was all about the youth, he was a coach,” said Harpal Sandhu who knew Sgt. Harnett through coaching.
Organizers have an ultimate goal to raise a total of 4601 toys, Sgt. Andrew Harnett's badge number.
Those who were unable to make it to the toy drive today can still donate toys at Calgary Police district offices until Dec. 17.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'I recognize these footsteps': How Trump and 'coyote' smuggling changed life at the border
Bent signs bolted to the rail threaten fines and imprisonment should violators cross the boundary into the United States, a warning many people are choosing to ignore simply by walking around the barrier.
From wreckhouse winds to blizzards, mix of weather in forecasts for parts of Canada
Canadians will experience contrasting weather on Thursday, from warmer temperatures in the Maritimes to extreme cold in parts of Ontario, the Prairies and the North.
Banks tell 2 Ontarians too much time has passed to cash decades-old cheque, GIC
Two Ontarians who recently found unclaimed money from decades-old investments were told by their banks there were no records of them in their systems.
She took a DNA test for fun. Police used it to charge her grandmother with murder in a cold case
According to court documents, detectives reopened the cold case in 2017 and then worked with a forensics company to extract DNA from Baby Garnet's partial femur, before sending the results to Identifinders International.
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why.
WATCH LIVE Danielle Smith announces new team to patrol Alberta-U.S. border
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will create a team of specially-trained Alberta Sheriffs tasked with patrolling the Alberta-U.S. border.
Rescue group saves 11-year-old girl floating alone in the Mediterranean for days after shipwreck
An 11-year-old girl from Sierra Leone was found floating in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy's southernmost island of Lampedusa, believed to be the only survivor of a shipwrecked migrant boat that had departed from the port of Sfax in Tunisia, a humanitarian group said Thursday.
Settlement reached in complaint over Canada Post layoffs as strike hits four weeks
The union representing Canada Post workers says an unfair labour practice complaint over the company's layoffs has been resolved.
Some breast cancer patients can avoid certain surgeries, studies suggest
Some early breast cancer patients can safely avoid specific surgeries, according to two studies exploring ways to lessen treatment burdens.