Halloween is a fun and magical time where children can exercise their creativity and imagination. A chance for children to live out their dreams and for one day be somebody else - a superhero, a monster, a princess, a cowboy or even their favourite doctor or nurse.
For children at the hospital who are dealing with an illness, this can be even more important. Each year, The Child Life department at SickKids hosts a Halloween Celebration Parade for patients and their siblings. The parade path consists of Halloween booths/stations throughout the hospital where kids enjoy “trick-or-treating” for toys, crafts, key chains, stickers and more. It is one of the highlights of the year, where kids, parents, staff and donors get involved to put a little “ghoulish fun” into spending Halloween at SickKids.
It is this type of care and compassion that makes SickKids such a special place and brings smiles to the faces of sick children during an otherwise difficult time.
Special thanks to Wal-Mart Canada, TD Bank, Disney Canada, Blockbuster Canada, Foresters, SpinMaster and Children’s Miracle Network for their generosity and supporting the Halloween Celebration Parade at SickKids.
For all the little ghosts and goblins who will be trick-or-treating this weekend, have a fangtastic Halloween and don’t forget to review these safety tips from Safe Kids Canada.
http://www.safekidscanada.ca/
More than 20,200 people from across Ontario demonstrated that when a community truly rallies around a cause, the impact can be monumental. Pay It Backward Day raised over $15,000 for SickKids Foundation! That’s an amazing victory.
The Daily Challenge came up with the idea for Pay It Backward Day and its two co-founders, Darius and Afshin, worked tirelessly to find sponsors to help them maximize their concept. The Second Cup store at Queen and John jumped on board for last April’s event and this year Second Cup happily signed up again, this time adding more than 170 stores from across Ontario. Two additional sponsors, Silk Soy Beverage and Ivanhoe Cambridge, joined too.
The day-of festivities didn’t disappoint. Local celebrities came out to show their support including FLOW 93.5 on-air personalities Jus Red, J-Wyze, Jeni and Taboo, and singer-songwriter Julie Crochetiere.
We couldn’t be more thankful for all of their efforts and hard work. The volunteers were also incredible!
Thank you to everyone who participated in Pay It Backward Day for SickKids. We hope to see you out there next time performing small acts of coffee kindness. Check out the latest video that sums up the Pay it Backward experience http://youtube.com/payitbackward
Do you know a crossing guard who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help your children get to school safely?
Safe Kids Canada and FedEx Express Canada, a longtime sponsor of the Walk This Way pedestrian safety program, have come up with a great way to recognize your favourite crossing guard - “Canada’s Favourite Crossing Guard Contest.”
The Walk This Way program aims to reduce child pedestrian injuries and deaths while encouraging healthy and active living. Crossing guards play an important role in pedestrian safety and through this contest they will be celebrated for their efforts to keep kids safe.
Nominations are encouraged and accepted from across Canada. When the contest ends on November 27, the special work of three crossing guards who have shown their dedication to pedestrian safety will be acknowledged.
In Canada, pedestrian injuries are one of the leading causes of injury-related deaths for children 14 years of age and younger. According to Transport Canada, the number of child pedestrian injuries and deaths has slowly declined over the last decade. Let’s help keep that number on the decline.
To nominate your favourite crossing guard, visit the Safe Kids Canada site and fill out a nomination form. The winners will be announced during the first week of December.