My name is Shari, and I am a grade 3 teacher. Although I've been teaching for many years, I never fail to be touched at how many of my students and their families make the effort to think of me over the Holidays with small gifts and tokens of appreciation. I have an amazing store of memories of little faces beaming up at me as they hand me a special something, to let me know that I’m valued. I've received so many thoughtful, interesting gifts, but last year I received something that really stood out for me. To me, a gift …

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So, you’re organizing a fundraising event.

Your to-do lists are written, your venue is locked down, your committee is assembled and at the ready. Now it’s time to think promotion. These days, in addition to the usual types of things we do to promote special events (think press releases, word of mouth, posters, etc.), more and more people are turning to Facebook to spread the word. And with good reason – there are now more than 845 million people actively using Facebook every month, and 2.7 billion “likes” and comments each day. The numbers are staggering. Facebook is full of people, they spend …

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As some of you may know, we made a big decision this year: starting now, the Foundation will no longer be accepting gifts of toys for the Holidays.

This was not an easy call to make, but a great deal of time, discussion and consideration went into it, and we are convinced it was the right decision. Here’s why. Every year, we put the call out for toys, and you respond with incredible, inspiring generosity. Please know that each and every one of the toys you bring is used and appreciated by hundreds of children over the Holidays and year-round. But in the …

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Whether you’re 8 or 28, Halloween is a special holiday. It’s a time when, at least for an evening, you get to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. For some of the kids at The Children’s, Halloween is an extra special time. At the Hospital’s annual Halloween costume party, kids get to put aside all the worries, pain and heartache of being sick, and wear their superhero alter-ego on the outside for once. Halloween is a favourite holiday for kids and adults outside the Hospital, too, and this year there are lots of ways that you can enjoy this creepiest of …

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My name is Leigh-Ann Cote, I’m 22 years old. I’ve been a patient at The Montreal Children’s Hospital for my whole life. When I was 18 months old, I got very sick. I was tested for everything but no one could discover what I had, or help me get better. Finally one of my doctors, Dr. Fujioka, did a blood test and discovered that I had a dangerously low platelet count. I was urgently transferred to The Children’s from my home in the Eastern Townships, and very nearly didn’t survive the night. I had lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, …

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