Sotheby's Days of Giving Raises $20,000 Kids' Health Links Foundation and SickKids

On September 12, 2018, over 80 Sotheby’s International Realty Canada (SIRC) team members, family and friends met at their Toronto offices in the first Days of Giving (LIVE Giving) pilot program. This video captures the spirit of the event.

The SIRC team assembled over 300 craft kits, and as importantly, raised $20,000 for KHLF and SickKids Foundation. Congratulations and thanks to the top three fundraisers – Alessia Polo/Janice Williams, Nigel Denham and Linda Chu.

Now that the pilot is complete and with the many lessons learned, the plan will be to roll out similar programs across the country in the communities SIRC serves. This roll out will leverage the relationships that Kids’ Health Links Foundation has in over 30 children’s hospitals and other paediatric health care facilities across Canada.

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada intends to designate a few individual days throughout the year where everyone from SIRC will be involved in similar activities all in support of kids in hospitals, ideally on the exact same day. The impact from the full force and effect of this involvement would be substantial.

Sotheby’s International Realty Canada: Artfully uniting extraordinary experience and extraordinary children.

Samuel, Son Co. Becomes Enabling Sponsor of Kids’ Health Links Foundation

Samuel, Son Co. Becomes Enabling Sponsor of Kids’ Health Links Foundation

Toronto, Ontario… Kids’ Health Links Foundation (KHLF) is excited to announce that thanks to a generous multi-year funding commitment, Samuel, Son & Co. (Samuel), a leading metals and industrial products manufacture, processor and distributor, is now an Enabling Sponsor of the organization. KHLF creates social technology platforms that help chronically ill youth better cope with their anxiety, isolation and loneliness resulting from medical experiences, and that give health care professionals the opportunity to spend more time directly serving and supporting the children, youth and families they work with. KHLF believes that positive emotional well-being can be fostered by maintaining family connections and encouraging active social participation. By providing technology that enables this well-being, KHLF hopes to help children and teens heal faster and better overcome traumatic medical experiences. The funds donated by Samuel will be used to support the advancement of the Foundation’s programs, like Upopolis, Upedia and Umind.

 “It’s because of the heart and vision of companies like Samuel that KHLF and our important programs have a chance to fulfill their potential and make their greatest impact,” said Kids’ Health Links Foundation Chairman and Co-founder, Basile Papaevangelou. “It’s clear that a strong pillar to Samuel’s success is their focus on doing the right thing -- not only for their customers and employees, but also for their community. As a family-owned business, their culture of integrity and deep rooted commitment to giving back is evident – and for that, to them I give my most heartfelt thanks.”

About Kids’ Health Links Foundation
Kids’ Health Links Foundation was founded by Basile Papaevangelou and his daughter Christina to foster initiatives focused on alleviating the stress, isolation and loneliness for kids and teens undergoing medical care so that they might be better able to overcome traumatic medical experiences. For more information about Kids’ Health Links Foundation please visit www.kidshealthlinks.org.

About Samuel, Son & Co.
Founded in 1855, Samuel, Son & Co. is a family-owned and operated, integrated network of metal manufacturing, processing and distribution divisions.  With over 4,800 employees and 100+ facilities, Samuel provides seamless access to metals, industrial products and related value-added services.  Supporting over 40,000 customers, we leverage our industry expertise, breadth of experience and the passion of our people to help drive success for North American business – one customer at a time. For more information, visit www.samuel.com.

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For more information, please contact:

Kids’ Health Links Foundation                               

Basile Papaevangelou                                              

basile@kidshealthlinks.org

647-880-3037                                                             

"The Story of How I Became a Child Life Volunteer" – by K. Elina

K. Elina is currently a Kids' Health Links Foundation Ambassador and is a former Upopolis user. She took it upon herself to write this blog post on her experience with the peer-support platform, her passion for the profession of Child Life, and her life as a difference-maker. Thank you K. Elina for your dedication to Upopolis over the years and your commitment to making the world a better place. You are an inspiration! 

"Having Mitochondrial Complex One and Four Disease means I am immunocompromised, and has caused neutropenia. This limits me from participating in community-based settings including doing things that interest me, like volunteering for hospitals. But as a teen, I was introduced to a virtual program called Upopolis. I first became a user, and eventually an online Mentor to other youth in various leadership roles on platform.

Then when I was 19, I gathered research in resources for Child Life Specialists (a profession that works with children, youth and families in hospitals) and participated in speaking events answering questions about my experience being a pediatric patient. I developed my own personal blog and over time, through learning from the Khan Academy's Entrepreneur courses and becoming a Khan Academy Support Advocate Volunteer, I learned how Entrepreneurship can impact the world.

While I will never be a Child Life Specialist, I do have the title of Child Life Volunteer. As an Artist, and with the many skill sets I’ve learned over time, I plan to deliver my skills for free to all Child Life Specialists. I know this profession makes a difference, and for any youth out there, no matter what challenges you face, there are many ways you can help make a difference.

After all, technology allowed me to accomplish anything. Everyone in my life shaped me, mentored me and cared for me as I am today, and because of this, I withstand the odds that were stack against me and push ahead. My most happiest part of all is my extreme gratitude to carry the title and term "Child Life Volunteer”. A profession that works hard to make sure pediatric patients receive more then medicine but also receive the gift of being able to be Child or Teen during challenging times. And, maybe one day, becoming a Child Life Volunteer virtually like I did.

Either way, I take the title "Child Life" close to my heart, having volunteered for Upopolis and now the charity that founded the program, Kids’ Health Link Health Foundation. Without the support of Child Life professionals, who administer and manage Upopolis, I would not have made it this far. Imagine for a moment if a pediatric patients like me, who were isolated, didn't have Upopolis? What would have I become?

Your funding dollars help many youth everyday on Upopolis. Your support helps users gain confidence, leadership and feel connected, like I did, because of the program. Please considering donating to Kids’ Health Links Foundation and supporting Upopolis so other youth can benefit too, get the peer-support available and the access youth-friendly information that Upopolis has to offer.

In Honour and Memory of my Papa who encouraged and supported me in my volunteer roles; who was the greatest supporter of what Upopolis did for me. Every donation made helps another pediatric patient benefit like I did."

- K. Elina

KHLF 2017 Year-in-Review

Here is just some of what we achieved in 2017!

• We reached 27 hospitals and organizations in Canada offering Upopolis to their youth. The new hub and spoke model we developed allows community hospitals, organizations and camps to partner with us too.
• 24 crew spaces are available for youth to join on Upopolis. What is a crew space? These are diagnosis specific spaces, where youth can meet others with their diagnosis and find information and links especially for them.
• The Upopolis team expanded. Now we have four certified child life specialists with over 50 combined years’ experience- that is an amazing team for our partner hospitals and their youth to have access to.
• Upopolis underwent a visual refresh. Yes, the platform now has a new look with five new themes for users to select. The new themes and features were an action item identified by the youth.
• Upopolis youth established their own Youth Advisory Council. Having youth from across the country (and maybe further) working on the same projects- so much potential and expertise!!!!
• We had more youth then ever join the Upopolis Volunteer & Leadership Program. Currently, we have 14 users across the country active on Upopolis as Upals and Umentors. Not only are they gaining volunteer hours, but their leadership and mentor skills are growing too!
• The team hosted an exhibit at the Association of Child Life Professionals Annual Meeting. The team went out to meet with child life professionals outside of Canada to gage their interest in offering Upopolis to their patients. The team also hosted exhibits at the Florida Association of Child Life Professionals Conference and the Paediatric Diabetes Network Professional Development in Toronto, Ontario.
• Each month the team sends 600+ users and health care professional a Upopolis programming newsletter, called Unews. This newsletter helps to keep front line staff at the hospital up to date on what’s happening on Upopolis, perfect for answering youth’s questions or building their knowledge for when inviting youth to create a Upopolis account. It’s a perfect way to help with youth engagement too!

• The Upedia Webinar Series brought in experts in pediatric palliative care, legacy building, mindfulness, research on the importance of online support groups and child advocacy.
• Webinar attendance averaged 200 plus per webinar with attendees from all over the world.
• A new certificate program for webinar participants was implemented that streamlines the certificate process for not only the users but Upedia as well.
• Upedia hosted booth at the Association for Child Life Professionals (ACLP) conference in Las Vegas. The response was overwhelmingly positive. As a result we were featured as an amazing resource by the ACLP blog, and in their newsletter that reaches over 5000 Child Life Specialists!
• Upedia reached over 1000 registered users and growing more every day!
• Twitter followers increased by 180%!
• We sent out a quarterly newsletter and monthly update to highlight new resources and happenings with Upedia to over 1200 recipients.
• Upedia increased its database of resources by adding over 100 clinical resources and tools from various psychosocial domains. We also added a discussion board to highlight practical tools that Child Life Specialists can you use daily.

• We partnered with Raymond James as Umind's Presenting Sponsor
• Further developed our partnership with Mohawk College; increased our student/faculty/alumni registration base, engaged professors in delivering webinars, and presented to staff and faculty in a number of programs within Community Services Department
• Significantly grew the Umind membership base - with an increase of 54% over 2016
• Significantly grew the Umind twitter follower base – with an increase of 63% over 2016
• Completed 5 Umind webinars and increased overall attendance (up 49%) and satisfaction of attendees over 2016
• Focused on ‘hot topic’ areas when building the online resource library (We added 301 new resources in 2017!)
• Held initial conversations with the Dean of Social Services at Conestoga College to discuss how Umind can be used by the college which will continue in 2018

Umind Goals for 2018:

• Increase membership by 80%
• Continue to build our important partnership with Mohawk College; presenting to all Community Services faculty, and engaging at a student level to increase awareness of the platform and the number of those using and benefitting from Umind.
• Continue to expand the Umind resource library – based on topics of interest brought forth by registered members and trends in the child and youth mental health realm