It Takes A Village: Your Immediate Support Needed For Children With Disabilities and Critical Illnesses

Fleeing turmoil in Syria, a single mother arrived in Canada with her two sons — the youngest diagnosed with autism now has a brain cyst, requiring constant care. Her financial struggles compounded by language barriers and her inability to work as a result of caring for her son 24/7 have made accessing vital services extremely challenging. This is where SMILE stepped in, offering essential counselling and service navigation support to interact with social workers and doctors.

With the ongoing crises worldwide, including in Palestine, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria, the demand for our essential services – therapy, emergency relief funds, wellness check-ins, and family support – has skyrocketed. We expect this need to grow as more newcomers arrive, seeking support akin to what the Syrian mother urgently required.

In these challenging times, it truly takes a village; your support is essential. 

• Half of our families have more than one child with a disability
• 30% are refugees/newcomers
• 65 children currently waitlisted for various therapies

What’s At Stake 
Disabled children and youth of 750+ families rely on SMILE for numerous life-altering programs and services. 

If we don't secure $100k in immediate financial backing, we will have to make difficult decisions about cutting back our vital programs – that could mean children won’t receive necessary therapies, accessibility equipment and respite services and we simply cannot let that happen.

Our Immediate Ask
We need $100k as the bare minimum to sustain the critical programs we offer. Failing to meet this goal will result in heartbreaking cuts to our core services, affecting hundreds of children and youth with disabilities across Canada.

Join Your SMILE Canada Village
Your immediate contribution will ensure we continue to provide vital services to more than 750 families who rely on SMILE Canada. Join us in safeguarding our critical programs for them because every child deserves to SMILE.

Learn More about SMILE Canada

Donations in Canada above $20 are tax-deductible.