Thank you to Barb DiGiulio who continues to give her time as our Master of Ceremonies!
Success Story: Smiles of Innocence By raising funds for research, education and technology, The Smiles of Innocence Memorial Charity has touched many areas of SickKids.
Smiles of Innocence was inspired by Daniel Povegliano, who spent much of his four short years at SickKids. John and Anna Povegliano, Daniel’s parents, wanted to make a difference, and in 1998 founded Smiles of Innocence. Their fundraising efforts are in memory of Daniel who passed away from a rare dermatological disease.
Since then, their fundraising growth has been tremendous. In their first year they raised an amazing $45,000 from their gala which has become their annual fundraising event.
Over the past years, that fundraising total has grown to over $2,000,000, with the addition of a number of other annual events being held to support Smiles of Innocence. These include events like golf tournaments hosted by Anpro Excavating & Grading, Royal Pine Homes, Narvec Construction and Cortina Kitchens, partnerships with No Frills grocery stores in York Region who supported Smiles of Innocence through their paper icon program, and through Vaughan Electric Supply Co., that organizes a toy drive each December with the support of The Ice Cream Patio, Panson Electric and Cooltech Air Systems.
Anna and John say that the secret to their success has been the passion and dedication of their Smiles of Innocence committee members who generously give of their time for the cause.
At the tenth annual gala in November 2007, Smiles of Innocence reached an incredible milestone of two-million dollars raised for SickKids.
Thank you Smiles of Innocence!
March 22, 2007 – Toronto Star Millions raised to fulfill son's ‘destiny’
