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John Povegliano
Since its founding in 1998 the Smiles of Innocence Memorial Charity has grown and become one of the leading community based fundraising groups for SickKids Foundation. This is an accomplishment that we are extremely proud of; and none of this would have been possible without the tremendous support, dedication and commitment of our proud sponsors and supporters. Without them we would not be able to continue our fundraising efforts which help sick kids all over the world. Imagine a world where every child is healthy. That is our goal. To do whatever we can to promote awareness and raise funds to conduct research, teach the next generation of health care providers, and ensure the latest technology is available for our children. Throughout the years Smiles of Innocence has organized and promoted various activities within the community to help accomplish this goal. September 25th, 2014 marks the 18th year since the death of my son Daniel. Although he is gone, I still see him clearly in the eyes and hearts of all of our supporters – my son lives in you. It is because of The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) that Daniel had four short years on this earth. And because of that I am forever grateful. The HSC is an integral part of my family, and millions of other families throughout the world. Their relentless effort to treat and eradicate illness is unsurpassed. In my opinion they are truly one of the wonders of the world. But their efforts come at a great expense. In order to keep this hospital as one of the top children’s hospitals in the world it requires inordinate amounts of money and resources. This is where we need to take the leading role and we have. This is our 11th year of fundraising and we have surpassed our wildest imagination. I have been fortunate to have a wonderful circle of friends and people such as you who have supported this effort tirelessly, and will hopefully continue to strive forward in the years to come. They say that you can not live your life through your children, but I believe you should live your life for your children. God blessed me with a wonderful son who taught me so many things in his short life. He taught me compassion, love and patience, and showed me tremendous strength. There isn’t a day that goes by that I do not think of my son and feel his presence. I believe Daniel was put on this earth to fulfill a destiny. A destiny which I am determined to see to completion. Daniel has made me realize that there are so many special children born every day with special needs and we must do whatever is necessary to help them. We must care for our children, especially those less fortunate and do whatever it takes to make them safe and healthy. Children are our future. The HSC needs our help, thank you for caring. |
