CORNWALL, Ontario – A young Cornwall teen who has faced down cancer is helping a local charity via her infectious enthusiasm.
Alaya Riley has been named the honourary chair of the 2016 Rachel’s Kids Garden Party, which takes place June 4 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Ramada Inn.
Alaya has already defeated leukemia twice, and thought she had said goodbye to cancer until last year when pain in her ribs led doctor to the diagnosis. Five cancerous ribs have been removed from her body.
Alaya is just 13 years old, but speaks with the experience of a person that, sadly, already has a world of experience.
“It’s not like this is new to me,” she said matter-of-factly. “When I was told I would have to go through another surgery I was upset…but I kind of tell people this is what I have to do.
“I’m being positive about it, because I know…this is just a small thing I will have to get through.”
Last year the garden party raised $141,000.
Tickets for the garden party can be purchased by call 613-933-3946.
RACHEL’S KIDS SMALL MOMENTS OF JOY
2016 marks the 12th anniversary of Rachel’s Kids and it continues to evolve with the ever-changing landscapes of philanthropy by writing a new chapter into its foundation via ‘Small Moments of Joy’ – a new initiative created in its 10th anniversary year.
Small Moments of Joy is a program focused on local children battling life threatening or chronic illness. The program will grant wishes for these children – with the goal of allowing them to forget their illness or upcoming / ongoing treatments or surgeries, and for a moment or two focus on a moment of joy.
The goal is to aid in the recovery process by providing a positive and happy experience for the child and his or her family, but with a focus on the young person.
Harboured in this program is the belief that positivity aids in the recovery and healing process. Rachel’s Kids first small moment was the purchase of a pool for a local boy, Joel Fast, who is living with developmental delays, as a result of cancer treatments.
This year, Rachel’s Kids continues its Small Moments of Joy program with George Jacobs, a five-year-old boy who has lived the first years of his life unlike other boys his age. He was born with polycystic kidney disease. There is no known cure for the disease and the only way to help him was to receive a transplant. Starting at the age of two, he underwent hemodialysis for two years until a donor finally surfaced. During his long stays at the hospital, he dreamt of one day visiting Disneyland and meeting his favourite silver screen movie star: Emmet from the Lego movie.
Once George’s health was up to par for travelling, Rachel’s Kids started planning their well-deserved family vacation. They visited Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld, Legoland Hotel, and Busch Gardens.
RACHEL’S KIDS HELPING HANDS
In 2014, Rachel’s Kids launched the Helping Hands program – an off shoot of Small Moments of Joy. There were many very young children suffering from serious illness but because of their age group, they were really too young to need or express their interest for a small moment.
Rachel’s Kids quickly discovered that the stress, travel and time to take these young kids to treatment was placing huge financial burdens on these young families.
Helping Hands stepped in and assisted with gas cards, food cards, pre-paid phone cards and the like to help these families cope with basic living expenses while their children were undergoing treatment.
One of the families included a daughter who was born at 25 weeks, weighing a mere one pound 10 ounces. Her name is Shanelle and she spent the first few months of her life in the NICU at the Ottawa General Hospital.
Rachel’s kids provided her family with gas cards to help pay for the cost of travelling, along with grocery gift cards to help get them through the holiday season.
– With Seaway News files and content provided by Rachel’s Kids.
