There was more than one reason to go out for ice cream over the weekend. Yes, it was National Ice Cream Day on Sunday, but three Pontiac businesses were among the dozen or so across the Ottawa Valley that donated a portion of proceeds from ice cream sales to support children undergoing cancer treatment.
The fundraiser effort, called Cones for Kendyl, was organized by Cheryl Smith-Trimm in honour of her daughter Kendyl, who passed away in Aug. 2023 at the age of eight after a battle with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
Money raised through ice cream sales and donations was given to the Kendyl Smith-Trimm’s Caring for Kids Foundation, an endowment fund set up by her family.
Pontiac’s participating businesses included Brooklyn Place in Shawville, Murf’s in Portage du Fort, and Chez Nana in Chapeau.
Between ice cream sales and donations, Brooklyn Place raised over $3,400 on Sunday for the fundraiser.
Ice cream was one of Kendyl’s favourite snacks, said Smith-Trimm, who has been organizing fundraisers in Kendyl’s honour since she passed away, this year adding Cones for Kendyl to the roster.
“It was one of her favourite treats, as it is with most children. However, whenever we were going through the chemotherapy there were times when ice cream was Kendyl’s sustenance. That was one thing it seemed she could eat. It didn’t make her nauseous or sick,” she said.
When it comes to flavours, Smith-Trimm said Kendyl started as a dedicated vanilla fan, but as she experimented with flavours, a new kind soon won her affections: Moon Rock Crunch.
She discovered the flavour while staying at the Give Kids the World resort, during a trip to Florida.
“It would open at eight o’clock in the morning, and we were generally the first ones in line to get ice cream,” Smith-Trimm said with a laugh, before adding they would sometimes be there three or four times a day to get the special flavour that was similar to cookie dough or Oreo flavours.
The endowment fund set up through the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) supports both the family assistance program, which helps families financially while their children are receiving care, and the child life program, which helps to create some normality in the lives of children at CHEO through activities.
A portion of the fund is also designated specifically for gift cards to the gift shop at CHEO. Smith-Trimm said sometimes simply looking forward to getting a toy from the gift shop after a procedure was enough to keep Kendyl’s mind off what she was going through at the moment.
The gift cards will make sure that other families going through situations similar to the Smith-Trimms can do the same.
Smith-Trimm said she is already thinking of making Cones for Kendyl an annual fundraising campaign.
