Ciara’s Birthday Fundraiser
This past December, Ciara gathered her friends to celebrate her 8th birthday and her mother, Grace, gave her the choice to either receive toys or fundraise for the hospital where she was born.
“I already have all the toys I need!” Ciara exclaimed. “My favourite game is Subway Surfers and I play that on the phone. My mom always tells me it’s important to give back.”
Her family are proud Burnabarians who have lived in the city for 9 years and they felt that they could do more to give back to their community. Through her fundraiser, Ciara raised an astounding $730 towards the redevelopment of Burnaby Hospital.
“I’ve been living in Burnaby for 2,000 years,” she disagrees proudly. “It feels good to give to the hospital where I live.”
Grace remembers the warm and caring staff at Burnaby Hospital, especially the doctors and nurses in the Maternity Department that helped her deliver Ciara. Living only minutes away from the hospital, the family realizes the importance of having a well-run and upgraded facility.
Grace also decided to share her daughter’s fundraiser supporting the hospital with the people around her and on social media. Ciara has 70,000 followers on Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu) where she shares her musical talents.
“By sharing her choice to donate on her birthday, we got a lot of positive responses,” shares Grace. “We received some donations from friends, but also we got an outpouring of support on social media, many who are adapting the idea for their child’s birthday! It was surprising and really touching.”
Grace is a strong advocate for giving back to the community where she lives, and plans to spread those values to her children.
“There are so many people out there with the time and money to make a difference,” she shares. “I just want them to know that even little things, like the choice that Ciara made, can add up to have a big impact.”
It seems Ciara has already picked up on some of those values!
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Celebrate our health care heroes by learning more about our For the Love of Burnaby campaign.
