Doing The Happy includes cleaning out your closets for SickKids.

DYN Exports, a clothing recycling company, today donated $25,000 to SickKids to support its Healthy & Happy campaign. This gift is in addition to a $25,000 donation the company made to SickKids in January. The funds will support the Hospital’s highest priority needs.

DYN Exports recycles donated clothes and transforms them into products that are used in developing countries and in North America. The company is donating 41 per cent of the proceeds to SickKids from all of its clothing bins in the City of Toronto and from the clothing it picks up at homes in Markham, Richmond Hill and Mississauga. Over the next two years, it is expected more than $200,000 will be raised for the Hospital through this effort.

If you live Markham, Richmond Hill or Mississauga, look out for a DYN flyer delivered to your door. For more information about specific neighbourhoods being visited, follow DYN on twitter at @dynexportsinc or call 905-761-1877.

Being named SickKids Champion has been an awesome experience! It has allowed me to meet some amazing people and most recently, the people who work for Walmart! Walmart just finished its Round Up campaign and I was honored to be a small part of it.

The Round Up campaign is when Walmart associates ask customers if they would like to round up their bill to the nearest dollar. All proceeds go to CMN (Children’s Miracle Network) who, in turn, take the money and directly support the children’s hospital in that store’s area. I worked with the Walmart stores that raise money for SickKids!

The District Manager, Daryl, invited my Mom and me to a breakfast meeting. We love Daryl because he has a passion for helping others - plus he is super fun and loves rollercoasters like me! He introduced us to his store managers and let me tell my story. You know, it’s the story that makes you take a gulp and thank God every day for SickKids and all the doctors and staff that saved my life and so many other kids.

Because it was a special occasion, my mom even let me order a chocolate and banana crepe with whipped cream for breakfast. It was huge and I did a pretty good job at finishing it, too. Delicious!

My mom and I were invited to speak to the associates at a bunch of Walmart stores at their morning meetings. Thanks Mom for helping me with that! It was such a cool experience because so many people came up to me afterwards and gave me hugs. It feels so good to touch and motivate people.

The highlight of my experience was working with the cashiers at the Erin Mills store. I got to ask the customers if they wanted to “round up”. I loved putting their merchandise in bags and talking to them. It was a great feeling when they said, “of course” and personally thanking them for making a difference!

This year, Ava was officially named the 2011 SickKids Champion Child presented by Walmart Canada. This program is a Children’s Miracle Network initiative to honour children who have overcome severe medical challenges. The Walmart Round Up takes place annually. This year’s Round Up raised more than $250,000 for SickKids Foundation.

Hart Togman, 24, and Adam McClare, 26, have always enjoyed hiking and the outdoors – but last year, they took their passion for climbing to new heights by raising funds and awareness for cancer through an event called Summit for SickKids.

“We wanted to do more for cancer research, so we took a hobby we both enjoyed to create a unique event,” Hart said. “We didn’t want to do a stereotypical run for the cure.”

Last year, Hart and Adam climbed Mount Rainier in Washington, raising $15,000 for SickKids in the process. The money was donated to the Haematology/Oncology Department at SickKids and the Cancer Genetics Program.

“It was important that our event forced us to challenge ourselves both mentally and physically,” Adam said. “Both Hart and I have watched family members go through cancer, so we wanted to symbolize the struggle and challenges faced by those dealing with the disease.” 

This year, they’ve set their sights on the 19,347 foot Mount Cotopaxi in Ecuador. For both Adam and Hart, the decision to give to SickKids was personal.

“My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was three years old, and Hart and I both have a mutual friend who underwent treatment at SickKids,” Adam said. “SickKids has a huge research institute and we wanted to make a difference not only for children currently undergoing treatment, but also to fund new methods of treatment, and ideally, prevention.”

Two years ago, Hart watched his cousin go through cancer treatment at SickKids and saw first-hand the compassionate care the staff at SickKids provide. It helped inform their decision on where to allocate the funds raised from their climb.

“We decided to donate funds to the Cancer Genetics Program,” Hart said. “It’s relatively new and has limited funding, so our relatively small contribution can make a huge difference for these doctors and researchers and future generations of children with cancer.”

Adam and Hart hope to raise $20,000 this year for Summit for SickKids. They are holding a fundraiser called “A Night at the Summit” on Thursday, November 17, which features hors d’oeuvres, a DJ, dancing, a silent auction and more.

To learn more about Summit for SickKids, visit Hart and Adam’s website and Facebook page.