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 Emily 
Change Crusader Emily Ridge has been a SickKids cardiac patient since March of 2008, when she was diagnosed with Sick Sinus Syndrome. Even before the Change Crusaders campaign began, Emily knew that she wanted to support SickKids and keep it a great place for other kids.
Emily, who is 11, got creative when she came up with her fundraising idea. Inspired by her brother’s scout group, she built a small truck out of wood that she put a SickKids logo on. While she couldn’t race against the boys in the Owasco scout group, she was invited to race her truck against 17 local scout leaders. She came in first and raised $56 for her crusade. She then brought her truck into her school, where her classmates brought in their change, filling up the truck and raised another $200. By the time Change Crusaders started in March, Emily was already on her way. She set a goal of $300 and quickly blew through that. Bolstered by her success, she increased her goal. She used the online fundraising tool to get donations from friends and family across the country. Locally, she asked for support from her hairdresser and her dentist. She was even featured on the front page of the Ajax News for her work as a Change Crusader. Her current goal is $1250, which she has again surpassed by more than $500.  Kathryn 
Change Crusader Kathryn Stewart turned six on March 28. She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma Stage 4 in June 2008. With the help of the excellent medical care at SickKids, she completed eight rounds of chemo, five surgeries, two stem cell (bone marrow) transplants and has finished 12 rounds of radiation.
Kathryn became a Change Crusader in order to give back to the hospital so its staff will have the tools to continue to cure her, her new friends and all the other sick kids that she doesn't even know. She raises money with her family who help her keep up with her e-mail requests and responses. "We started with a really low goal of $25 as we thought we were just collecting change," said Heather Stewart, Kathryn's mom. "But when we started using the online tool, we were overwhelmed by the response we got and bumped it up to $1500." For a patient like Kathryn, who is still in isolation after her bone marrow transplant, the online fundraising tool is a great way to collect donations without putting her recovery in jeopardy. It also helps her collect from friends and family close to her in her home town of Georgetown and as far away as Calgary and New Jersey . Kathryn and her family have been so successful with their e-mail campaign that she's increased her goal again from $1,500 to $2,000. "Everybody has exceeded our expectations," Heather added. "The online environment is so easy that people can give what they can and pass it on to other friends who may or may not even know Kathryn." Kaitlyn 
Kaitlyn has been a patient at SickKids since she was born and has had more than 20 surgeries to fix my problems related to VACTERL syndrome. VACTERL is an acronym used to characterize abnormalities of the Vertebrae, Anus, Cardiovascular system, Trachea, Esophagus, Renal (kidney), and Limbs.
Just this past year Kaitlyn spent almost two months in the hospital recovering from two major surgeries on her bowels and bladder and as usual she is extremely thankful for the care she has received. Kaitlyn tries to raise funds for the hospital so that SickKids can continue to help other kids receive the treatment they need. Kaitlyn was one of the top Change Crusaders in 2008, raising an amazing $3,488.00. You can be a Change Crusader like Kaitlyn by starting your own campaign for SickKids! Madison 
Madison is one Change Crusader who made some real change happen.
Last year, Madison was our top Change Crusader and raised over $22,000 for the campaign. Madison raised most of this money online with her friends, family and community rallying around her. It just goes to show when you share a story of hope and courage how it inspires people to give. From the Stratford stage to a hospital bed in the SickKids oncology unit: in summer 2007, 10-year-old Madison made quite the transition. As a young actress she tried to ignore her back pains and feelings of exhaustion until they became too much to bear. Doctors at SickKids confirmed she had leukemia. After countless rounds of chemotherapy over seven months, she finished her intense treatment plan this spring and once again is setting her sights on the stage. |
