Recently, the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada in Saskatchewan received a major boost to the More Wishes, More Wonders Campaign from the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation. Graham Slam 2017, a golf tournament led by Graham and Ruby’s charitable foundation chose the Children’s Wish Foundation in Saskatchewan to be their 2017 beneficiary of this prestigious and heartwarming tournament that took place at Riverside Golf and Country Club on June 12th, 2017. Over 120 golfers joined Graham, Ruby and their twins, Lyla and Roscoe, to make a difference to children in Saskatchewan. Approximately $136,000 was raised that day and donated to advance the nationally active More Wishes, More Wonders Campaign in Saskatchewan. The reality is that, in the last 10 years, wishes in Saskatchewan have increased by 30%. Thank you Graham and Ruby DeLaet for your continued support!
##Shoring up one strong partnership with another: Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan
In June of 2015, the Children’s Wish Foundation partnered for the first time with Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan as the charities of choice for the 2nd Annual Graham Slam Golf Tournament. This partnership flourished when Children’s Wish was approached just 4 months later to be the charity of choice for the FMG Saskatoon Dragon Boat Festival in 2016. A natural fit, Ronald McDonald House was asked to continue to work with the Children’s Wish Foundation through to 2019.
The reality is that, in the last 10 years, wishes in Saskatchewan have increased by 30%
Over the course of this partnership, it has become increasingly more obvious why these two organizations fit so well together. Although they serve a slightly different mission – Children’s Wish grants wishes to children between the ages of 3 and 17 dealing with high risk, life threatening illness, while Ronald McDonald House is a home like environment for children and their families to stay while receiving medical treatment in Saskatoon, they do often work with the same community of families from across the province. On any given day, a visit to Ronald McDonald House could be filled with families reminiscing about their child’s wish.
It is also the children and families that these two organizations work with that make the job so fulfilling and this partnership even more successful.
In July of 2017, 3 families shared the role of Wish and Home Ambassadors on event day at Rotary Park. Rhett, Sophia and Aurora spent the day taking in the festivities, cheering on their favorite Dragon Boat teams and sharing pieces of their stories with paddlers. As each child and their family have felt the impact of Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Wish, having them there to participate in the day and feel their presence at the event, reaffirmed why the FMG Dragon Boat Festival is such an important fundraiser in our city, and more importantly, why this partnership continues to be so strong.
