Giving to SickKids just got a little easier – and a little more technically savvy.

SickKids Foundation can now accept donations from smartphones through PayPal Mobile 2.5 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

PayPal and Canadian developer Artez Interactive came together to create a mobile app that will enable donations to SickKids Foundation and 16 other charities in Canada. Worldwide, the app supports donations to approximately 20,000 charities. Donations can be funded from a PayPal account balance, bank balance or credit card.

As smartphones increasingly become the norm, more and more people are turning to apps to help organize their social lives, connect with friends and family and stay tuned in to what is happening here at home and around the world. Why not make it easier for people to connect to their favourite charities?

PayPal mobile 2.5 is in the iTunes App Store now. To learn more about the new iPhone application, please visit www.PayPal.com/mobile or download the app directly from iTunes.

If mobile giving isn’t for you, you can always donate to SickKids Foundation by visiting us online or calling 416-813-6166.

When their son’s bowel condition was successfully treated at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) some 20 years, ago Lori and Wayne Carr felt as though they had won the lottery. That feeling was renewed yesterday at SickKids when they received a cheque for one million dollars as the latest grand prize winners of the SickKids Lottery.

Born with a mild case of spina bifida relating to a bowel condition, the Carr’s first born son, Austin, was referred to SickKids at age four where he spent the next year getting a diagnosis and receiving treatment. Today, he is a healthy 22 year old attending school in Winnipeg.

The Carrs started supporting the SickKids Lottery a few years ago as a way to give back to the hospital that had given them so much.

“We have always had a strong emotional connection with SickKids and we wanted to show our thanks,” Lori Carr said . “SickKids was such an incredible support to us during our son’s treatment and we’ll never forget the kindness and care we got from everyone we encountered there. We were already so grateful to have our lives changed once by SickKids. We never thought our lives would be changed so dramatically a second time by the same hospital.” 

The Carrs travelled from their family home in Chatham earlier this week to pick up their cheque at SickKids.

Net proceeds generated by the lottery will be used to further the mission of SickKids Foundation and help support The Hospital for Sick Children. To learn more about the lottery, visit the SickKids Lottery website.

*see lottery rules and regulations for details visit: www.sickkidslottery.ca Lottery licence 2797.

Two years ago, a teenage girl made a wish to attend prom. She had missed hers while undergoing treatment at The Hospital for Sick Children.

Ellen Storfer and her family’s endowment fund, Turning Dreams into Memories, made this girl’s wish a reality. It’s a reality that has since become an annual tradition of a prom-like “After Hours Exclusive Teen Event,” which took place on July 8 at SickKids for the second year in a row. This year’s theme was, “A Night in Wonderland.”

For teens like Calandra Carkner, who have spent their evenings in a hospital room at SickKids, the “prom” provided something to look forward to and a distraction from their treatment.

“This event is just magical,” said Debra Carkner, mother of 17-year-old Calandra. “Even though she was going through treatment today, all her energy was focused on tonight. It’s amazing to have something that makes her feel like a teenager and makes her feel alive.”

To start off the memorable evening, teens enjoyed some pampering from hair stylists and makeup artists. They even got to choose from an array of funky accessories.

Once their looks were complete, patients headed to the prom-like event to enjoy a night of dancing, socializing and trying their luck at casino-style games. Joining the guests were a number of local celebrities, including John Ralston from Life of Derek, and Alyssa Reid and Jesse Labelle, singers on the MuchMusic SodaPop tour.

“I am truly overwhelmed by the experience,” says Ellen Storfer, whose family created the fund in memory of their spirited mother who lost her battle to cancer in 2005. “Meeting families like Debra and Calandra, who were so touched by this evening, made my family’s dream for the fund come to life.”

The goal of the fund, affectionately known as Dream Delivery, is to provide unique opportunities for chronic and long-term patients at SickKids. The “Night in Wonderland” was a testament to their vision.

The prom-like event was created in 2009 by the Child Life Department at SickKids, which aims to provide in-hospital experiences for children and teens through therapeutic play, encouraging self-expression, easing anxiety and enhancing coping strategies.

For more information on Dream Delivery or to make a donation, please click here.