Canuck Place Children's Hospice holds a special place in our hearts for the support they've provided to local family and friends in British Columbia for decades. They offer a place of comfort and compassion where children can experience the simple joy of being a child, and families can cherish each moment together.
Canuck Place first opened its doors in November 1995 to become North America’s first free-standing children’s hospice. They responded to the need for a hospice created specifically for children, because the illness and death of a child is a particularly life-altering experience for the families who love them. Recognized internationally as leaders in the field of pediatric palliative care, the need for their services has grown exponentially over the years. Canuck Place cares for over 720 families at a time, covering children and their families from all over the province. We are so blessed to have two of their incredible facilities right here in Vancouver and Abbotsford and 80% of their funding comes from fundraising activities.
Whether a life is measured in days, weeks or months, children deserve the opportunity to learn, develop, and grow.
Knowing how much Canuck Place counts on community support, we were thrilled to hear that West Coast Kids stepped up in a big way this fall. Their team has supported children's charities in a number of cities across Canada where their stores are located, including designing a "Forever Room" at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary and supporting Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, but they had yet to do something specific for children in British Columbia. With their focus on children's & baby products, the majority of their staff being parents, and their staff connections to children who have used Canuck Place services, supporting them was a natural choice.
For the month of October 2017, West Coast Kids (in partnership with Clek) ran a fundraising campaign where 10% of the sales of all Clek car seat and accessory sales from any of West Coast Kids' 9 stores across Canada, including their website, would be donated to Canuck Place. They internally set a goal of reaching $10,000 and they did! And on top of the $10,000 donation, they surprised Canuck Place with a convertible car seat (Clek Foonf - $620 value) and a high-back booster (Clek Oobr - $350 value) to use in transporting children.
Donor support like this can help Canuck Place families in so many ways, including improving access for children, sibling and parents to recreational therapy camps, individual counselling sessions and musical therapy sessions that provide an outlet for healing and expression.
This recent West Coast Kids fundraising campaign and donation to Canuck Place warms our hearts and we hope it inspires other local businesses and community members to get involved too.
Born & raised in Vancouver, and co-founder of Healthy Family Media and the Healthy Family Expo, Angela is a reformed divorce lawyer turned healthy family champion! By day, she thrives on connecting conscious brands with busy Vancouver families. By night, you’ll find her wrangling two feisty daughters, choosing between instant pot or healthy freezer meals for dinner, and singing with MomChoir. She especially loves sharing her favourite family-friendly finds with other Lower Mainland parents!