Our Supporters
Thanks to Rita Sopaz for her donation of $4,350 on behalf of Spinning for the Children!
Another fantastic CanJam for Kids with Cancer is in the books! It was a beautiful day as the Knight’s Hall field filled with new, classic, and antique cars and trucks for the show. Live music kicked off at 1 pm, with a heartfelt thank you to all the local bands who donated their time to support our kids.
Vendors offered a diverse selection of products, and the auction buzzed with activity, thanks to the generous donations from many local businesses.
CanJam had the honour of presenting the Sandra Allen Memorial Education Awards to three outstanding students—Lilly Coulter, Melanie Austin, and Ashlyn Smith.
The awards were presented by Lindsay Allen and Rhiannon Allen-Parker in memory of Sandra, past Chair of Help A Child Smile. A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers—you did an amazing job, and we appreciate every one of you! And to our sponsors, the public, the Knights, the bartenders, the bands, our advertisers, and everyone who contributed to CanJam—thank you for helping us raise over $25,000 for HACS!
The Southern Cruisers Erie Shores Chapter 129 held their annual Poker Run for Help A Child Smile and raised $4,500! Thank you for your continued support!
The Cowboy Classic recently brought supporters together to raise over $22,000 at this year’s golf tournament. This tournament was initiated over 30 years ago by Claude Poulin as an annual fundraiser for HACS he called the Black Creek Charity Golf Classic.
From the inception of HACS in 1987, Claude was a founding benefactor and an original board member and was instrumental in making the organization what it is today. Claude was a compassionate, humble man who never asked to be recognized for his contributions. He generously gave his time, financial support and business resources simply because he could. He never expected to receive anything in return except maybe to see the smiles on the faces of the children he helped.
To honour him, the tournament was renamed ‘The Cowboy Classic’ after his sudden passing late in 2013. Since then, the event has raised over $140,000 for HACS. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of the sponsors, players and volunteers for making it such a great day. A special acknowledgment to the Staff at Niagara National Golf & Country Club in Stevensville for their outstanding support and service throughout the day.
Thank you to Enbridge gas employees for selecting Help A Child Smile as their charity of choice! Recently, their volunteers assembled our welcome packages and knapsacks and provided funding to purchase the items and gas cards!
Thank You, Streets on Fire Chippawa Car Show & Street Dance!
We are incredibly grateful to the organizers and attendees of the Street on Fire Chippawa Car Show & Street Dance for their generous support and for choosing Help A Child Smile as their beneficiary this year.
Your amazing event raised $5,000, which will go a long way in bringing smiles to the faces of children fighting cancer. Your support helps us continue our mission of providing joyful experiences and much-needed assistance to these brave kids and their families.
A huge thank you to everyone who participated, donated, and made this event a roaring success. Your kindness and generosity truly make a difference in the lives of so many. Together, we are spreading hope and happiness, one smile at a time.
Thank you to the Healthcare and Municipal Employees Credit Union in Brantford for their donation of $1,190.
Everlee accepted this donation from Melissa Kaczur from the HMECU. Melissa’s daughter is a HACS alumni.
On November 17th Everlee Watson visited the UCDA (Used Car Dealers Association) to deliver a thank you plaque on behalf of Help A Child Smile. Everlee Watson is a childhood cancer survivor and boy does she smile.
She has a good deal going on in her life that has nothing to do with cancer, because she is now cancer-free. Diagnosed at 4, two and half years of treatments later, she finally has a clean bill of health.
Now 11 years old, Everlee does not have to think about hospitals and treatments now. Instead she thinks about her favorite sports, her art and her beautiful horse, Dolly. She loves to ride that horse, even though it’s getting a little fat!
Giving back is the legacy of Everlee’s journey to health. Her whole family want to thank the McMaster Children’s Hospital and the UCDA, but it does not stop there. Everlee’s grandmother, Ramona Durkin, is now the Treasurer of the charity that helped them all those years ago, Help a Child Smile, and her mother is a VP of the same organization.
Every week brings new families in need of help as their personal journeys fighting childhood cancer begins – and we all want them to know – they are not alone.
Pictured, from left, Steve Peck, President of the UCDA, Everlee Watson, Ramona Durkin and James Hamilton, Interim Manager and Legal Services Director, UCDA.
The Brantford Knights recently held an all-you-can-eat breakfast fundraiser on our behalf. Santa and Mrs. Claus took time out of their busy schedules to drop in and have their pictures taken with the kids (big ones and little ones) after breakfast. The proceeds from the breakfast were a whopping $2800 and another $261 in donations was added to that for pictures with Santa and the Mrs.
ABATE 8 held their 7th annual poker run fundraiser in September. The participation was awesome and they raised even more this year than any previous ride. Beth Walsh and Joyce Hutson were thrilled to accept a cheque for $8600 from the members!
The Erie Shores Chapter 129 held their Annual Poker Run in support of Help A Child Smile on Saturday, July 15. Riders enjoyed a wonderful day and the ride raised around $7,000 for Help A Child Smile. Thank you to the Erie Shores Chapter 129 for their continued support of Help A Child Smile.
The Brantford Area Jeep & Off Road Club showed their support to Help A Child Smile with a $5,000 donation from their members! Thank you so much for supporting Help A Child Smile.
Thank you to Dante Lodge No. 19 in Welland for collecting donations from the Children’s Chirstmas Party and matching them.
Big Thanks goes out to President Lina Borreiti, Elsa D’Innocenzo, Amy LeDonne , Albert Longo, Carlo Esposito
and all the members of Dante Lodge
Shown in Picture Elsa D’Innocenzo, Amy LeDonne, Margaret ( Peggy) Charron
In the town of Ancaster, there’s a special story about two kind-hearted kids named Josie and Ace Travis. They wanted to do something really nice to remember a dear family friend who had passed away. So, they came up with a wonderful idea – a lemonade stand! It’s not just any stand, though. It’s a way to show how much they cared about their friend. They made a sign that said, “Lemonade for a Cause,” and the word spread all around their close-knit community. People from all over, including neighbors, friends, and even some they didn’t know, came to support their heartfelt mission. Under the hot sun, with pitchers of lemonade being poured and poured again, something amazing happened. A long line of eager customers formed, and each person was touched by Josie and Ace’s caring efforts. With hard work and the kindness of their customers, the Travis siblings collected an incredible $500.
Thank you to The Glass Slipper Company for selecting Help A Child Smile as the beneficiary for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Ball held on New Year’s Eve. Cinderella presented a $2,500 cheque to Help A Child Smile.
