Shine Foundation

The Shine Foundation changes the lives of children and youth living with severe physical disabilities, across Canada. 

We work with children and youth aged 11-21 living with severe physical disabilities, to imagine new possibilities and inspire them to reach their future goals, developing a sense of purpose that can last a lifetime.

Our program focuses on the unique needs and aspirations of each young person we serve and are as unique as the young person we work with! These personalized experiences are customized by the child or youth and brought to life by Shine’s dedicated program team. From meeting a hero, to adapted sports equipment, we encourage them to shine bright!

Without Shine, many of these young people see themselves as having a disability first and being a societal contributor second. Shine shifts that paradigm and allows them to gain confidence and see themselves differently as someone who can vs someone who can't.

For 35 years (and counting), Shine has created more than 8,800 life-changing experiences for children and youth across Canada and coordinated 64 Shine DreamLifts to Disney.