The mission of 630 CHED Santas Anonymous is simple: to see every child receive a new toy at Christmas. Since Jerry Forbes founded the charity in 1955, that mission has stayed the same.
Relying on thousands of volunteers and donors, 630 CHED Santas Anonymous now collects, sorts, packages, and delivers toys to over 20,000 children every year.
More than 60 years ago, 1080 CHED’s production manager Jerry Forbes felt compelled to start Santas Anonymous. Jerry worked his way up at CHED, eventually becoming the station’s general manager after it moved to 630 on the AM dial. Jerry spent 28 years at CHED, retiring in June 1981. He passed away in September 1981.
In the years since, the board, staff, and volunteers of 630 CHED Santas Anonymous have carried the torch, with generations of Edmontonians fulfilling Jerry’s dream:
“Wouldn’t it be great if there would be no needy kids and every kid had a present? Not a used present -- with wheels stuck on and repainted -- but a brand new present. From that modest start we said, ‘Well, let’s do it.’ So we went ahead and for the first few years we ran it up on the second floor here just with my staff and from there it just grew and grew.”