The parents of a young girl who died of bone cancer in 2023 organized their second annual fundraiser event in Chapeau on Saturday evening to support children battling cancer at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
This year’s Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids fundraiser was once again put on by Kendyl’s mother Cheryl Smith and father Pat Trimm at the Harrington Community Hall. It included guest speaker Jolan Wong, a childhood cancer survivor and Paralympian, a magic show, live music, food, raffles and door prizes.
Smith said the event was yet another success, raising just over $30,000 as of the morning of Sept. 15. She said that practically the whole arena got up and joined in singing one of Kendyl’s favourite songs, Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da by the Beatles.
“Kendyl always wanted us to dance together to that song,” she said.
The first annual fundraiser, hosted last September, raised $66,500 for children and their families seeking treatment at CHEO, the facility where the eight-year-old Pembroke girl was cared for.
In July, Smith organized another fundraiser which saw businesses across the Ottawa Valley donate a portion of their sales to the Kendyl Smith-Trimm’s Caring for Kids Foundation, an endowment fund set up by her family.
All money raised at Saturday’s event will also go into that fund. Money will support families of children with cancer with the costs associated with seeking treatment at CHEO such as transportation, hotels and meals, as well as towards gifts for children in treatment.
