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Melancthon girl gives hugs, raises funds for SickKids

August 22, 2019   ·   0 Comments

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

A Melancthon Township girl welcomed visitors to her home on Saturday, Aug.17 in a bid to raise funds for SickKids hospital.

Eight year-old Rylee Rand was watching the news one night when she saw a piece about kids doing a food drive.

Rylee decided that she would do something to help people as well.

She approached her mom Vanessa and told her she wanted to do something to help children.

When asked what she thought she could do to raise money, Rylee replied “giving hugs.”

She hosted the Warm Hugs for SickKids event with different activities and invited people to her 260 Side Road home in Melancthon for a day of fun activities.

“We’re raising money for sick kids to help them get better,” Rylee explained. “We’re raising money for the hospital so they can get more materials that will help kids. I saw kids doing things on TV and said I wanted to raise money. I was four years old. I said I wanted to give hugs so we call this Warm Hugs for SickKids.”

This was the second time Rylee and her mom have hosted the event.

“This all came from her little noggin,” Mom Vanessa explained. “When I asked her what she wanted to do to raise money, she said ‘how about hugs?’ So that’s where the name for the event came from. We have Starbucks here, the Party Safari with a bunch of little creatures and my mother-in-law baked a lot of goodies. We have people here from Shelburne, Georgetown and Orangeville. We have some girls here that are volunteering to get their community service hours for high school.”

Vanessa said that she has no direct connection to SickKids hospital, but she said “If you don’t have a direction connection to SickKids, you probably know someone that does.”

Vanessa is no stranger to fundraising having previously raised money for Multiple Sclerosis, after her grandfather contracted it.

The event featured games and activities and the popular Party Safari booth were you had the chance to hold a python and see several other exotic animals.



         

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