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Help Rafaella raise money

For participating in 2024 Sporting Life 10K

My Story

As many of you know, I'm a past volunteer for Campfire Circle (previously known as “Camp Ooch” and I am participating again this year in the Sporting Life 10k in support of the cause.

I've lost track of how many times I’ve run down Yonge Street for this wonderful cause… three times while pregnant (5 months with Luca, 8 months with Giacomo and 5 weeks with Carmela!)

While I don’t think I’ll top my PB from last year (50 mins, exactly!)… it’ll be a big post-partum fitness milestone for me as I ease back into long distance running after the arrival of our baby girl in January. 

More important than the physical challenge, though, is the cause that it's for. Many of you have heard (many times) about how passionate I am for this incredible place called Campfire Circle.  

If you haven’t or want a refresher, then... please keep reading.... 

For those of you who don’t know, Campfire Circle is a camp for kids with or affected by childhood cancer. Whether campers are taking part in overnight camp in Muskoka, participating in activities while receiving treatment in hospital, or meeting new friends through special activities in communities across Ontario, they get to experience the healing power of fun, friendship, and self-confidence.

I have seen firsthand the incredible and undeniable magic that this camp experience provides to these kids. Whether it be via a bedside visit at their in-hospital programs (at Sick Kids and other hospitals) OR at day camps at their incredible Toronto facility OR (my personal favourite) through overnight camp in Muskoka..... Campfire Circle gives these kids the chance to be just that.... kids. To make friends, to laugh, to try new activities and learn new life skills. And to be surrounded by incredible volunteers and other kids who know and understand exactly what they have gone through. 

Thank you in advance for your support. Any little bit of contribution helps. This year, while I am on mat leave (again), we are taking a break from our corporate team and I’ll be, instead, running as a “free agent”. This means, more than ever, I need your support to reach my fundraising goal. 

Know that I'll be running my heart out for these kids and in appreciation for all of you that donate. I will be running because I know how life-changing this organization is to these kids. I'll be running because as a mother, I pray my own kids never need an organization like Campfire Circle. I'll be running because I CAN. And it's a privilege to be able to.

Thank you for considering a donation today.

Description

Help deliver healing through happiness to kids with cancer or serious illness and their families.

 

When a child is diagnosed with cancer or serious illness, it impacts the whole family. Kids miss out on simple childhood joys, household incomes are often cut in half as caregivers take on the full-time responsibility of caring for a sick child, and families struggle to make time for special experiences.  

When you donate to Campfire Circle you are supporting in-hospital, community and overnight camp programs that create opportunities for children to build friendships and social skills, develop self-confidence and resiliency, and improve their overall well-being. Through play-based experiences, you are helping empower kids to take back their childhood, regardless of their medical diagnosis.

With your support, we can continue to offer our programs at no cost to families and grow our circle of care to provide additional play-based experiences across all four paediatric hospitals, and improve our medically supported and accessible overnight camps so that every eligible child can benefit from our innovative and impactful programs.


Thank you for helping to build a world where children thrive and families heal.


Achievements

Recent donors

Donation date Donor name Donation amount
May 06 Marco Di Vincenzo (Centennial Food Group) That’s an amazing story!!!! So proud of you $54.24
May 06 Medex Fish Importing & Exporting $2,090.40
May 06 Claire, Tom and Si $81.08
May 06 Kenneth Lawrence $188.42
May 05 Anonymous Undisclosed amount
May 05 Theresa Hill $27.41
May 05 Joey and Sabrina Vecernik Good luck! Undisclosed amount
May 05 Stacey Langill $161.58
May 03 Angie and Carlo DeGasperis All for a great cause !! Keep doing what you’re doing !! Undisclosed amount
May 02 Liz Snell Good for you Raf, such an amazing charity $107.91