Welcome to Damian's Campaign 2022!
Welcome to Team Macquarie and Damian’s Campaign 2022! Damian’s Campaign was established in memory of our infant son who was born in September 2010. Over the last 12 years, together with our friends, families, colleagues, and corporate supporters, we have covered thousands of kilometers by bike and have donated over $2 million to causes focused on children and families.
We are excited to be continuing with our hybrid event format again this year. On the weekend of September 10th, we have a Toronto based peloton of over 30 people covering 50km together followed by a fun kids ride. In addition, we have riders in several other locations logging kilometers for the campaign from August to October. Let us know if you would like to ride!
We have continued to partner with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation. Holland Bloorview is amazing. It cares for kids with disabilities, kids needing rehabilitation after illness or trauma, and kids whose medical complexity requires a kind of care they can’t get elsewhere. Every day, Holland Bloorview’s frontline staff embrace kids with boundless potential and ask “how can we help you achieve your goals?”
For this year’s campaign, we worked with Holland Bloorview to create “Damian’s Innovation Program” which will be a catalyst for developing new scientific discoveries and help translate them into real-world treatments, processes, and devices for use by kids and families. Some representative projects include:
- The Holly anxiety meter, a device that measures heightened emotions in individuals with autism and alerts them via a smart device so that they can employ relaxation strategies.
- The Hummingbird neckband device which allows non-verbal children to communicate by translating vocal cord vibrations into language.
- The Transitions Resources Guide is designed to identify service gaps and ease the journey from pediatric to adult care for youth with disabilities.
- A digital storybook with relevant and engaging content for youth with disabilities related to sexuality, body image, consent, diversity, and healthy relationships. This is a significant gap in resources in this area that are available for young people with disabilities.
With a fundraising goal of $250,000 we will be able to bring these, and several other initiatives to action.
To help us reach our goal, we have incredible support from the Macquarie Foundation which includes matching opportunities up to $150,000. All you need to do is donate to be matched.
Please consider making a donation to Damian’s Campaign 2022.
With Many Years of Thanks,
Lindsay & Tim
