Anne Gordon’s six-year-old daughter Georgia wanted to know if Santa Claus visited children who were in the hospital at Christmas and whether they would receive presents on Christmas Day.

Gordon, who is a TIMES sales representative, decided she wanted to do something to make sure children at BC Children’s Hospital had presents at Christmas, and she’s drawing on her zumba skills to make this happen.

This Saturday, she will lead a Zumbathon in Langley and the price of admission is an unwrapped toy. (See list of toys below.)

“Bring in a toy and in return you get to dance, sweat, laugh, smile and have tons of fun,” Gordon said.

Gordon said since it’s the “season of giving,” she wanted to do something “awesome” this year at Christmas and children who have to spend Christmas at BC Children’s Hospital.

“With your help, I want to make a child’s Christmas brighter and what better way than to provide a infant, child, tween, [or] teen with something of their very own on Christmas morning,” Gordon said.

In her zumba classes, men and women of all ages, shapes, and fitness levels come out to what she calls “exercise in disguise,” describing it as “a Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party.”

Participants can alter their moves during zumba according to their fitness level, Gordon said.

Classes are about an hour long and incorporate different dance styles, for example, cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, mambo, rumba, flamenco, tango and calypso.

Gordon chalks up the growing popularity of zumba to the fact it’s easy and fun. Using resistance training and interval training, it’s good for all-body toning, she added.

“Plus, the music and the party atmosphere help those who may have a negative association to exercise to re-think their attitude about fitness,” Gordon said.

Participants should wear appropriate clothing to move freely and lateral support footwear (no bare feet).

The Zumbathon will be held at Dancing for Dessert Ballroom at #3-20279 97th Ave., Langley. The owner has donated the space for the event.

Wish List Items – 2012

Infants and Toddlers

Plastic washable infant toys (rattles, teethers, toys that light up or make sounds, activity centre type toys)

Washable mobiles

Baby crib aquariums, small baby rattles, infant musical wind-up toys, especially with wind-up, not battery operated, music boxes.

Baby board books with photos of real babies

Crib-mounted mural books – washable

Shape sorters

Cars and trucks

Washable, plastic musical instruments

Music CDs for infants/toddlers

Toys and Games (washable)

Thomas the Train (or other) trains

Mr. Potato Head

“Totally Me!” beading kits

Small cars and trucks (Hot Wheels)

Lap tables for children to use in bed

Fisher Price Toys: small “family” dolls with movable parts, and household furniture, cash register, Medical Kits (and ones with blood pressure cuffs), etc.

Small sets of Lego Building kits with instructions (more complex for older kids)

15-20 piece wooden puzzles and 30-100 Piece thick cardboard puzzles (age 3-4)

Melissa and Doug “Exclusive Magnetic Body Playset” (available through Indigo)

Melissa and Doug “Decorate your own wooden race car” kits or other kits

Washable 6” to 10” baby dolls, with clothes and blankets

Assorted board games for all age groups. Guess Who, Connect Four, Taboo, Trouble, checkers, memory games

Mind games like Rubiks’ cube, or other hand manipulated mind games

Bop-it, Etch-a sketch

Decks of cards

Playmobil play sets

Polly Pocket sets

Window Clings

“I-Spy” books, “Where’s Waldo” books, Disney theme “Seek & Find” books

CDs of children’s music

Musical instruments from empiremusic.ca

Little People sets

2

Strawberry Shortcake sets

Transformers

Littlest Pet Shop sets

Bionicles

My Little Pony

Youth

CD’s – pop, rock, country, relaxation music, compilation albums, Top 40

iTunes gift cards

Paintable items like picture frames, T-shirts, terra cotta pots and boxes, canvases, paints

Magazine subscriptions (Teen People, Snowboarding, Tony Hawke, fashion, health & fitness)

Beauty Products – nail polish, hair accessories, bath products, travel size shampoo, conditioner and creams etc.

Board games – Risk, Cranium, and Mind Games

Beading supplies including hemp, clasps, crimp beads, stretch plastic lacing and tools

Books on CD

Big craft projects that take time to build

Mugs and Starbucks gift cards

Hoodies, pajama sets, purses/bags

Electronics

iTunes gift cards

Mario games of any kind

Insignia 24” LCD TVs

*Nintendo DS and games (especially Mario games [Mario Cart, Super Mario Bros], racing games, and “Lego” games)

iPod chargers

iPod players

iPod docking stations

Playstation 3 (PS3)

PS3 Games (rated E for everyone)

Xbox 360 Controllers

Nintendo Wii and games

Wii remotes and Wii nunchuks

Headphones

Adolescent DVDs (rated only as high as 14A) – especially new releases

Adolescent DVDs of live concerts (Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry)

Children’s DVDs (G or PG ratings) (Barbie Princess movies, Disney Princess movies)

X-Box 360s

X-Box 360 games and remotes

Universal remote controls

Digital cameras and small HP printing stations for each unit (10)

Portable DVD players

Small DVD players for attaching to TVs

Snoezelen accessories (available through Flaghouse website)

Gift cards for Future Shop, Chapters, Best Buy, iTunes, etc (in small denomination)

Music/ musical equipment

Children’s music CD’s – please contact the Child Life Department for current artists. (604-875-2345, x7686)

Craft Supplies

Unlimited quantities of such things as: Pony Beads and plastic lace (lots!); craft kits – ie. small simple bead or paint kits; wooden/ceramic paintable craft items; wooden picture frames; artist’s quality watercolour or sketching paper; charcoal, and real sketching pencils; Crayola markers for the younger children

Small plastic paint palettes for mixing paint colours

Stickers

Big foam stickers

Children’s drip-proof paint pots with lids and paint brushes

Small craft kits with all supplies needed included in the package

Children’s scissors (both straight and patterned edges)

Crayons, felts, pencil crayons, feathers, pompoms, sequins

Glueable or peel-&-stick foam shapes, letters, holiday-themed shapes

Glitter glue

Glue sticks

Card stock

Stamps/patterned hole punches

Scrapbooking supplies (acid free paper, glue sticks, acid free stickers, albums, etc.)

Spin Art

Playdough

Fimo

Plastescine

Paint pots

Knitting kits (how-to books, with yard and needles)

Gift cards for patient birthdays (in small denominations)

iTunes gift cards

Chapters

Future Shop

Best Buy

Opus Framing, Michael’s, or other craft supply store

Gap

Aeropostale

H&M