Chelsea Hotel, Toronto: providing comfort and support to SickKids families
The Chelsea Hotel, Toronto takes great pride in their ability to give back to the community. It is not only an important philosophy of the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, but something the hotel, and its employees, practice every day.“Helping people in our communities is not just a nice thing to do; it is an expression of what it means to be a Chelsea Hotel employee,” says Tracy Ford, Director of Public Relations, Chelsea Hotel, Toronto. “We are not only willing to go above and beyond to bring comfort to our guests, but also to bring comfort to families in need in the local community in which we operate.”
It is through the Chelsea CARES program that the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto is able to bring much-needed comfort to families who have a child being treated at SickKids. A year-round program, Chelsea CARES provides accommodation to out-of-town families who are visiting their loved ones in hospital and are unable to afford the expense associated with these visits. SickKids families wishing to participate in this program are asked to apply through the Social Work department at SickKids, and the length of stay provided to each family is determined on an “as needed basis.”
“It means a lot to us that we are able to provide a home-away-from-home during a difficult moment in a family’s life and are touched when we hear how our Chelsea CARES program has made an impact on a family who has a loved one at SickKids,” says Tracy.
“It means a lot to us that we are able to provide a home-away-from-home during a difficult moment in a family’s life."
“We have an annual Charity Golf Classic that has been running since 2002,” says Tracy. “For the past three years, SickKids has been the recipient of the funds raised, which supports our commitment to AboutKidsHealth.”
The annual Chelsea Charity Golf Classic is an event hotel employees rally behind. Each year, a committee, made up of members from many departments, is formed to manage everything from bringing in sponsors, registering teams to planning and executing the day-of. Employees have also volunteered their time to participate in activities such as the annual Halloween parade that takes place in the hospital, and stuffing kits for the Great Camp Adventure Walk.
The local community also rallies around the support the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto provides to SickKids.
“A couple of years ago, we organized to have a “Wishing Well” built and installed in our lobby. With thousands of guests, as well as non-guests, passing through our lobby, we are constantly seeing the support of SickKids. Since the introduction of the Wishing Well, it has raised in excess of $10,000.”
Thank you Chelsea Hotel, Toronto for providing comfort and support to SickKids families going through challenging times and for committing to fund an important health resource that not only helps reduce the anxiety surrounding childhood illness and injury, but equips families with the information needed to manage their child’s health needs.
