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Darlene Kelley still remembers the brown sweater.
She was 11 at the time and used to hand-me-downs. But this knit turtleneck was new. It had never kept anyone else warm. The memory of that sweater — or perhaps her jubilant feelings toward the ribbed garment — explains in part why Kelley has volunteered with the Santa Claus Fund for more than four decades.
She wants every child to open something new at Christmas, to experience the same joy she felt as a little girl.
But that's not the only reason.
More on the Star's Santa Claus Fund
"Back stories are what shape the person I think," says Kelley, 56, a financial officer with the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "They are our reminders."
And the person she is today — altruistic, considerate, achingly generous — was shaped by an act of unimaginable horror. In the fall of 1965, her 5-year-old sister, Terry Alcorn, was abducted, raped and murdered.
The perpetrator, the Scarborough family's milkman, had lured the child into his vehicle while she was outside playing with a friend. He then drove to his cottage to commit the monstrous crime. The man's sister-in-law, coincidentally, also went to the cottage later that night to begin winter shutdown. She found Terry's body under a bed and called police with a description of her brother-in-law and his car.
The police put up a roadblock and made the arrest.
It all happened in a single day. That morning, Darlene, then 8, had a younger sister she adored. By bedtime she was being told Terry "had gone to live with God."
There is no greater pain than losing a child. After the brutal murder of her youngest child, Marie Alcorn, who was already separated from her husband, found it impossible to function. Her two remaining children, meanwhile, were forced to live with less.
Three months after Terry's death, Christmas arrived. And with it, 8-year-old Darlene and her 9-year-old brother Dale received gift boxes, courtesy of the Santa Claus Fund. The gifts, including that brown sweater, would arrive for three more Christmases until their mother was fit to return to life.
While Alcorn never did get over the anguish of losing her daughter, she raised her chin and sweetly said the gift boxes should now go to others. Meanwhile, the year after Kelley received the brown sweater, she rolled up her sleeves to deliver Santa Claus Fund gifts through a youth group at her church.
She was 12. She hasn't missed a Christmas since.
Kelley started as a box runner, delivering the gift boxes to the doors of families in need. Eventually, she became a depot co-ordinator for her church and then joined the special events committee at Scouts Canada, which runs other depots. Today, Kelley co-ordinates the frantic logistics at three depots, including one at Calvary Baptist Church in east Toronto, where she started volunteering 44 years ago.
"Children make Christmas magical," she says. "The joy and excitement on their little faces reminds me of my children when they were young. Every parent that I had delivered to (was) very appreciative of receiving the box. The squeals of delight coming from behind the closed door as you walk back down the hall is heartwarming."
This spirit of giving has become a family affair. Kelley's children, Alexander, 31, and Amanda, 29, both help deliver boxes. So does her husband, Garry.
"In our family, it's not Christmas until we are delivering the Star Santa boxes," says Kelley. "Giving is what shapes you. I often tell my kids, 'You have everything you need. You may not have everything you want. But you have everything you need and there is a difference.'"
In addition to volunteering with the fund and Scouts Canada, where she started in 1974, Kelley finds time to help others at The Hospital for Sick Children and the United Way. She also knits toques for children in the Regent Park area.
From an unimaginable darkness, Darlene Kelley emerged in a brown sweater, a little girl learning to smile after tragedy, a future spark in the lives of many.
Thursday: Finding joy in popular culture.
This week in Life
We look at five things that make the holidays special. Today: Finding joy in giving


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The Founder
My name is Cheptoek Boyo, I am a mother, an award winning blogger, the founder buzzcentral.co.ke, Feature and Entertainment writer, an actress and fashion show choreographer.
I work for Standard Group, editorial section The Nairobian Newspaper, where I specifically focus on features and entertainment writing. I am passionate about journalism because I believe it is a platform for Kenyans and Africans to tell our own stories they way we want the world to see us and also tell stories that will impact the future generations positively.
In 2013, I worked as a columnist for The Star Newspaper. I made the move to People Daily Newspaper a few months later where I managed a daily society page, Clique and Clicks. In 2015, I launched an entertainment website buzzcentral.co.ke where I highlight stories about Kenyan and African artistes. Recently Buzz Central won Best Entertainment Blog at Kenya Bloggers Awards (BAKE) 2018.
I fell in love with the world of entertainment from a tender age and tried my hand at acting from lower primary classes. I have since been featured on shows such as Some of Beba Beba-NTV TV, the film Die Husband Die-Mnet Movies, Papa Shirandula-Citizen TV, Changes – Mnet TV Series, Love 101- KTN, and KBC Mtaani.
As a Fashion choreographer and backstage manager, I work with Mochez Models, a casting and modeling agency and have produced mega fashion shows locally such as Nairobi Fashion Week, Fashion High Tea, Casino Malindi Fashion Show, Palmers Fashion Show, Liz Ogumbo a Musical Fashion Affair, The Core Fashion Show and Fashion Against Cancer Fashion Show, among others.
I am a mother to an eight-year-old girl, Salika Rose, and loving it.

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