T’was the season of beaming faces on the paediatric and NICU units at our Centenary and General hospitals. Scarborough Health Network (SHN) was thankful to receive donations for children who were admitted during the holiday season and thanks to these donors, the children were in high spirits during their stay.

Scarborough Firefighters

On Christmas morning Scarborough firefighters and Santa arrived on their firetruck to distribute toys to the children. The Scarborough firefighters have been generous donors for over a decade, delivering items to our paediatric units as well as our emergency departments for any children that may be there on Christmas.

Scarborough Town Centre Security team

The Scarborough Town Centre Security team have been generous donors of SHN for years. This all began when one of their security guards chose to use money he received for his birthday to purchase toys for the children of Centenary hospital. When he left the company, his team felt this was a great way to give back, and have since carried on the tradition.

Metroland Media – Beary Merry

Staff from Metroland Media arrived with bags filled with cute teddy bear and stuffed animals for the children to snuggle and cuddle with!

The Super Sophia Project – Love Boxes

SHN received 700 love boxes as part of the Super Sophia Project. Since 2016 Sophie Megan along with her family and friends have been packaging “Love Boxes” for hospitalized children. The nine-year-old was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two but has been cancer free for the past five years. Sophie, who has first-hand knowledge of what it’s like being in the hospital over the holidays, donates these boxes to uplift spirits.

Christmas Wish Project

A project that started in Australia four years ago has made its way to SHN. The Christmas Wish Project brings professional photographers to local hospitals so children can get their photo taken with Santa! Unbeknownst to the families, the images are edited to look like the children are enjoying a magical experience with Old Saint Nick. All of the children and their families then receive their edited photos with Santa himself.

Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Me to We program

For the past four years, students at Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate have been fundraising and purchasing toys to be delivered to the General hospital’s paediatric unit.

Williams Toy Drive

On December 20, a donation was delivered to Centenary’s Paediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) satellite clinic, which provides cancer care close to home for children in Scarborough. This donation was an annual donation organized by the Williams family and supported by local boxer, Brandon Cook who brought his winning boxing belts for kids to see and try on!

On top of these incredible donations, SHN is humbled to receive many other donations from members of our community throughout the holiday season.

Thank you to everyone who donated to SHN and helped put a smile on our patient’s faces.