By Shirley Thomas
COMFORT SLEEP Guyana Inc is in the season of spreading great joy and Christmas cheer. Last Wednesday, the company held the first of its annual Christmas parties at the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre in Carmichael Street, Georgetown, where more than 100 children in therapy, along with their parents and/or care givers, had a fun time with lots to eat and drink.They took photographs and socialised with each other in an atmosphere of confident anticipation, knowing that the occasion was sponsored by the unfailingly reliable Comfort Sleep.
These parties are usually gala affairs held to comfort the hearts, gladden the spirts, and bring joy to hundreds of less fortunate girls and boys.
The gesture is part of the ongoing humanitarian initiatives of Guyana’s largest manufacturer of foam mattresses and pillows.
The parties are held at three locations –- Georgetown, West Demerara and Berbice — and approximately 500 children who are beneficiaries of Comfort Sleep’s school feeding programmes in these regions are catered for.
And Santa Claus was on hand to bring added joy and excitement to the children by the distribution of gift-wrapped toys to literally every child at the party. The gifts of those who were unavoidably absent were delivered to them at home, since Comfort Sleep’s Managing Director, Dennis Charran, insists that no child on the list is to be left out of the fun and cheer offered during this festive season.
Charran, who has a close affinity for little children; his wife, Sabita Charran; and Administrative Manager Amanda Surujdai Chung were also present at the party, and spent quality time interacting with the children.
This is now the ninth consecutive year since such goodwill parties are being hosted by Comfort Sleep, with one being held at each of the three locations. Howbeit, for Christmas 2014, all the children, numbering about 500, were brought together under one roof at Fun City at the prestigious Princess Hotel at Providence, for a day of virtual treasure hunting, wherein they came up with gems and rubies.

UNSPEAKABLE JOY
This year’s party, as always, was unspeakable joy; and in addition to good music, sumptuous food and beverages, the children were each provided with cards which allowed them to browse the entire Fun City facility, play any of the more than 100 games; view movies, and lots more.
As an added incentive, every child was photographed with Santa Claus, and given the photo as a gift specially from the Charran family.
At the end of a most exciting and rewarding day, the deeply gratified children, escorted by their teachers, left the facility in specially chartered shuttle buses with pleasant and unforgettable memories of one of the most enjoyable days in their lives. It was an experience that certainly made them feel good about themselves.
Comfort Sleep’s second party for this season was held yesterday at Little Rock Suites in New Amsterdam, Berbice. The third and final one is scheduled to be held at Malgre Tout Roman Catholic School, West Bank Demerara, on Saturday, December 19th from 11:00 hrs to 13:00 hrs.
In a brief comment, Charran noted: “It is always a pleasure for me to be here at this time with the children of the Rehab Centre, celebrating the Christmas with them. The party is wholly sponsored by Comfort Sleep, and we give support to the centre throughout the year. In addition, we have a feeding programme catering for 500 children in Berbice, West Coast (Demerara) and in Georgetown.
“I wish to take this opportunity to say thanks to the customers who have been supporting Comfort Sleep in the past years, and look forward for their continued patronage. I also want to wish all Guyana a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!”