Event: The Sunshine Foundation celebrates 25th anniversary

Earlier this week I got to meet two very special kids who had each recently had a dream come true thanks to the Sunshine Foundation. Ty, a 9-year-old living with cerebral palsy got to go to Niagara Falls with his family to visit Great Wolf Lodge, Marine Land and the Butterfly Conservatory. His twin sister, Jazmine, 9, (pictured above with Glee star, Naya Rivera) also has cerebral palsy and had chosen a Caribbean cruise with rock climbing as her dream. For kids like Ty and Jazmine, the work by The Sunshine Foundation helps them to forget about their illness for a little while and just be a kid.

The Canadian charity helps to fulfill the dreams of children with severe physical disabilities, as well as those with life-threatening illnesses. The Sunshine Foundation has fulfilled more than 7,000 dreams for children from across Canada since it began in 1987. With 2012 being the Foundation’s 25th anniversary, they are providing DreamLifts (one-day whirlwind adventures to destinations such as a Disney theme park) for 365 boys and girls. Winners and HomeSense have been supporting the Foundation in it’s fundraising efforts for 13 years now, and this year, Glee Star Naya Rivera has joined in to help launch the Spread a Little Sunshine Campaign.

Throughout the month of August, the public can support the cause by purchasing $2, $5 or $10 decals at all Winners and HomeSense stores in Canada. 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of these decals will go to he Sunshine Foundation.

And there’s more. In an online initiative, Winners and HomeSense will donate $5 towards sending 80 Sunshine kids to Disney World on a DreamLift this fall for every share, port, like or tweet.

Show your support by tweeting the hashtag #spreadsunshine or visiting http://www.spreadsunshine.ca.

Related:
‘ 6 ways to build healthy body image in your kids
‘ 7 superfoods for kids
‘ How to prepare for a charity walk