A group of motivated and festive children have been busy making creative ornaments, many made out of recycled materials, and all for a good cause! Having set up shop at the Beaurepaire Christmas Market and the Baie-D'Urfé Provigo, the crew has raised over $1034 this year for the Montréal Children's Hospital Foundation.
"I've been making reindeer and snowmen out of recycled corks, and between this year and last, we've sold over 100. A lot of our friends pitched in, donated recycled materials, and helped us make the ornaments. Last year, we raised around $2,000," said Cameron Carruthers (11), who met Léandre (14) and Audrick (11) Gaucher over a Zoom call last year, and thanks to the collaboration of their friends, family, and community, they were able to begin the ornament fundraising initiative.
The Children's Hospital Foundation is near and dear to the Gaucher family. All proceeds from the sales of the ornaments are funneled towards the Healthy Kids Fund, which distributes proceeds to wherever it is needed within the hospital.
Léandre's personal connection to the hospital, and violin talents have motivated him to raise funds: "When I was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and I had my operation, and chemotherapy treatments, the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation helped me out so much, so I decided to give back. We've organized a few fundraisers for the hospital; the ornament fundraiser last and this year, and I did a concert to raise money for "Sarah’s Fund for Cedars" in 2019 which supports the Hematology-Oncology floor at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. In February, we will host a second edition violin concert fundraiser on the West Island along with other talented musicians."
Classmates, family members, and the community at large have been there to support the children's initiatives. Facebook forum posts asking for materials were very fruitful, with many recycled items, such as corks, being donated by the hundred. The ornament fundraiser has been extremely popular in raising awareness about the Foundation.
"I made some of the paper and straw star ornaments; the cork reindeer and the straw stars are very popular amongst the customers," said Audrick Gaucher, Léandre's brother and a violinist who will partake in February's fundraiser. More details will be shared on the West Island News events page.
If anyone is interested in picking up some of these one-of-a-kind ornaments, you can contact them via their Facebook page or by email lyg.toothless@outlook.com.
For those who wish to donate to the initiative's fundraising page, click here.
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