To Match $25,000 Donation to Fund Accommodations for Families with Sick Children
For most, COVID-19 means staying at home. But for children who require life-saving treatment, this isn’t an option. Right now, families with children who are facing serious health issues, are facing challenges as regular accommodation options are not available due to COVID-19. To ensure their families can stay as close as possible in hotels nearby, The Brandon Prust Foundation has donated $25,000 to Children’s Health Foundation. And he is challenging the community to match it.
“This donation was an opportunity to provide support and awareness to all of the children and families who are not diagnosed with COVID-19 but still significantly impacted by the changes it has made to the hospital system. There are still children being diagnosed with cancer, being born premature, receiving life-saving care for diseases and more; these haven’t gone away. But the ability for families to stay on the hospital campus has. And they need financial support to stay in a hotel,“ said Brandon Prust, founder of The Brandon Prust Foundation. “The Brandon Prust Foundation has always been there to support children and families, so when I heard about this need I knew we had to do something to help.”
The first $25,000 was raised through an Instagram gardening challenge, where Dave Moore, Owner, Clintar, pledged a $1000 donation if Prust gardened his lawn. Prust accepted the challenge, cleaned up his lawn and challenged three more individuals to do the same.
Now, Prust is looking to the larger community to step up to bring the total funding to $50,000, which will make a significant impact on families.
Donations can be made online here.
“Children’s Health Foundation is grateful for this wonderful gift of $25,000 from The Brandon Prust Foundation. With their generous support, families will have one less worry when caring for their sick child during this global crisis,” said Scott Fortnum, President and CEO, Children’s Health Foundation.
The Children’s Hospital’s Family Assistance Program has seen a spike in demand for accommodation from families, who come from across Western Ontario for care and treatment. The program is providing financial assistance so families can afford accommodation at local hotels where they can stay more isolated and reduce their exposure to COVID-19. This is important for their own health but also the health of their sick child whose immune system is compromised.
Entirely donor funded, the Family Assistance Program helps families to worry less about money and instead, focus on what matters most: caring for their sick child. This support is particularly needed right now because of the impacts of COVID-19. In addition to hotel accommodations, the program provides financial resources for the coverage of in-hospital meals, groceries, parking, travel, drugs, internet access and more. Last year, the program served 1,657 families.
Click here to accept Brandon’s challenge and donate to the Family Assistance Program
