A super-sized thank you for pint-sized philanthropists!

"Kids Helping Kids" party celebrates the generosity of kids in our community

CALGARY, Sept. 25 /CNW/ - Today, over a hundred kids from the community gathered at the Alberta Children's Hospital for the first annual Kids Helping Kids Celebration. Kids enjoyed carnival games, fun treats and had the chance to win incredible prize packages. The party was in honour of the fundraising initiatives led by young people in support of kids at the Alberta Children's Hospital.

"Almost $53,000 was raised by amazing kids like you...one lemonade stand...one birthday party...one garage sale at a time," said party emcee, Gord Gillies of Global Calgary to the excited crowd.

"This is a very enthusiastic and creative bunch," says Saifa Koonar, President and CEO of the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation. "It's because of support from generous kids like them that our hospital is so great!"

Fourteen-year-old cancer survivor, Hannah Magus, was on hand to tell her story of how she, along with family and friends, sold silicone bracelets to raise money to support the hospital. "It felt good to be able to give back to the people who helped me through so much," said Hannah. "It was really cool to see how our little idea turned into something pretty huge."

"We intend to honor these kids every year from now on at a Kids Helping Kids Celebration in September," says Koonar. "We believe their generosity is an inspiration to our community."

The celebration also acted as a launch for the new Kids Helping Kids section on the Foundation website. The new pages will act as a toolkit and make fundraising for the hospital easier than ever for this on-line generation.

For more information about the Kids Helping Kids program, visit www.childrenshospital.ab.ca/kidshelpingkids.

About the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation

The Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation raises funds for excellence in child health and family centred care. Through the generosity of donors, the Foundation provides funding for innovative programs, state-of-the-art equipment, advanced medical training and internationally recognized pediatric research. Its support for research dates back more than 30 years.

For further information: Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, Jody Schwartz, Senior Associate, Communications Office: 403-955-8813, Cell: 403-889-8669, Email: [email protected]