Ignite

 
 

Our Annual Fundraiser

At Myra’s Kids Foundation’s annual summer retreat for children, the campers participate in a “Luminary Ceremony”. During this very emotional ceremony, each child is invited (one by one), to share a few words or deliver a message in memory of their special person who had died. Campers place their lanterns on a floating dock that is launched into the water and then bear witness to the flickering lights in the distance. The symbolism is intense as the lantern represents the light of the loved one that forever burns in their memories, the floating dock full of lanterns reminds them that no one is alone, they share in their collective grief with others. 

At MKF, we know that light is a powerful symbol related to grief. It is for this reason that we call our annual fundraiser “IGNITE”. We want you to understand how powerful it is to “IGNITE” memories as well as the importance of supporting these children as they navigate through their grief experience. 

At our IGNITE event in 2022, we inaugurated the HUG (Helping Us Grieve) Award, presented to an individual who has been pivotal to the success of Myra’s Kids. This award allows us to show our appreciation to someone who has truly demonstrated an incomparable passion to be there for children who are grieving and ensure that the support that they require is available for them. The 2023 recipient of the HUG Award was Dr. Michael Starr.

This year’s event took place May 24,2023 at Jardins Royalmount. The event raised a record amount of money that will help support programming aimed at providing hope for children and their families after loss. A heartfelt thank you to our volunteers, event sponsors, and attendees for making IGNITE '23 such a success. We hope to see you again at IGNITE '24.

 

Ignite ‘23

 
 
Dr. Mike (as he is known to all at Myra’s Kids) is a renowned Rheumatologist and incredibly caring and devoted individual. Dr. Mike has been a part of Myra’s Kids since our founding 7 years ago. He is a member of our Board of Directors, our resident expert on all things medical and most importantly, he initiated our “Ask the Doctor” session for our campers at our summer weekend retreat. Myra’s Kids was extremely honoured to present the 2023 HUG Award to Dr. Michael Starr.
 
 

Ignite ‘22