Becki Zerr:
I'm Becki Zerr and welcome to Raising Kindness, a podcast all about promoting volunteerism within our community. Join me each month as I'm joined by my 12-year-old son, Bennet and his friends demonstrating that together, despite my vision loss, we can definitely make a positive difference in others' lives. We may not always know what we're doing precisely, but we're going to learn, meet new people, and have a lot of fun during the process. So grab a friend and join us on our volunteering adventure that we call Raising Kindness.
Welcome to the final episode of the Raising Kindness podcast. I'm Becki Zerr and I've had the privilege of being this podcast creator, writer, and host. I'm so grateful that everybody has been able to tune in and watch each of these episodes, and I'm thankful to those who have helped us spread kindness by participating in the Kindness Challenges. This podcast is totally uniquely special to me because I'm not only grateful for each of these volunteer opportunities that we've had, but I'm so appreciative that my amazing son has been with me for each of these memorable moments. It has truly been a bonding experience for both Bennet and I that was made extra special by his friends who have been volunteering with us right by our side. You are definitely going to want to be sure to hang around for the full episode so you don't miss out on this special conversation between Bennet and myself that takes place a little later in this episode, but before I start getting emotional, let's get started with today's episode.
So today the kids and I were thrilled to be able to participate in this year's Million Reason Run put on by the SickKids Foundation. The really cool thing about this particular run is its flexibility in that people can participate all across the country and yet each participant's funds that they raise goes directly to their closest children's hospital. I'm super excited to welcome Angela Rose, manager of special events for the SickKids Foundation to tell us so much more about this amazing fundraiser. Welcome to the show, Angela.

Angela Rose:
Thank you for having me.

Becki Zerr:
So Angela, I usually start off by asking my guest just to tell us a little bit about themselves and what you like to do for fun.

Angela Rose:
Well, yes, so I am, as you mentioned the manager of special events at SickKids Foundation and I have been in this for a very, very long time, and I'm very passionate about raising money for our children's hospital in Toronto particularly. Something fun, I'd say that I'm a mom and I feel like I don't have a lot of time for fun, but I have six-year-old twin boys that keep me super busy and I just love watching them grow and kind of see their little personalities and the sports that they're getting into and all that. So it's just really great to see the little things that I've created turn into bigger things, and yeah, it's a lot of fun to watch.

Becki Zerr:
Wow, you had me at twin boys, six-year-old twin boys. I just feel fatigued just listening to those two words together. I'm just wondering if you can tell us a little bit about the SickKids Foundation and how this run came to be.

Angela Rose:
Yeah, so SickKids Foundation is our fundraising for the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and Ontario, and we're affiliated with 12 other children's hospitals across Canada through an organization that's called Canadian Children's Hospital Foundation, otherwise known as CCHF. And what we were doing is we were looking for something that could address need for child health research across Canada. So we have some really great hospitals across Canada that do really great research, not only in our backyards but globally as well. And so we wanted to do something with the other hospitals across Canada. So funnily enough, this event was created in 2021. Yes, we're in our third year and it was created to be a fully digital event, which is just ended up being really great timing in terms of everything that was going on with COVID and things being shut down.
So it was created as a fully digital event first and not something that had to be changed into something digital because of the things that we were dealing with with COVID. So that worked out really well, but this really allowed us an opportunity to have an impact locally at each of the children's hospitals and allow people from not just the sick kids area, but all across Canada to fundraise, to run, to raise awareness. And especially during COVID, when we first launched this event, people weren't allowed to mingle and to get together in groups. So this was a really great outlet for families and households to get together and get some activity in and to do something really great for their local hospital. And since then it's just really exploded and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Becki Zerr:
It's amazing. I love the flexibility in this run and I love that it's really organic and that's how it was initially designed and not an adaptation as a result of our lovely COVID that kind of blew through the world here. I'm just curious, do you know about how many people have participated over the years and about how much funds you guys have been able to raise?

Angela Rose:
Yeah, so we're entering our third year of this event in 2023, and since the last two years we've had about 8,000 people per year join this event across Canada. And in those last couple of years has raised over $3.5 million. We are just kicking off this year's event in 2023 and we're already at over 10,000 people. So this event has not seen its heights yet and that's so excited and we're really hoping to raise a lot more money this year.

Becki Zerr:
Oh, that's amazing. I mean, those numbers are incredible. Do you have any vision of where you'd like to be in the future?

Angela Rose:
Ooh. It would be great to see us to raise $10 million or more. I think this event has so much potential, so much growth and so much opportunity considering it does affect all the children's hospitals and our numbers, our runners grow every year and there's more and more support for this event and I think that we're just getting started. So I think in a couple years we could be at $10 million. That'd be great.

Becki Zerr:
I totally agree. I think the sky's a limit really with this and I love how it's connecting all of these amazing children's hospitals together simply by the work that you guys are doing. So thank you so much for that. If people wanted to find a little bit more information about this run or the SickKids Foundation in general, where would you direct them?

Angela Rose:
For sure. So in terms of The Million Reasons Run, we'd encourage you to go to our website, it's millionreasons.run. You can also find us on social media if you do hashtag Million Reasons Run. People behind this event and I'm happy to chat with people on an individual basis. And if you're looking for more information in terms of SickKids Foundation, you can also go to sickkidsfoundation.com.

Becki Zerr:
Awesome. Thank you so much. And I do have to put the plug in for the t-shirt. You probably can't entirely see what I'm wearing right now, but I'm wearing one of your guys' fundraising t-shirts this year as are the kids and they are fabulous. So if you guys are participating in the run, please grab a t-shirt as well because they're pretty cool to, as a memorable token as well. And Angela, I just want to say thank you so much for all of the work that you do for this fundraising event and everything you guys do for SickKids, and thank you so much for joining the podcast and having a conversation with me today.

Angela Rose:
Thanks for having me.

Becki Zerr:
Next up, I'm going to be joined by Kendra. She's a repeat runner of The Million Reasons Run and I'm excited to have her join our conversation. Welcome to the show, Kendra.

Kendra:
Thank you so much for having me.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, I'm going to ask you the same first question. Can you tell us just a wee bit about yourself and what type of things you like to do for fun?

Kendra:
The Million Reasons Run, of course. That's all I find and all I can think about for me. But yeah, I'm a mother of two wonderful boys. I'm an athlete at heart, so really any opportunity to be involved in events that get me moving, it's where I find my passion and my, I guess my fun. I enjoy doing these events and I enjoy showing up with others and being a part of communities. So yeah, it's kind of present in everything I do.

Becki Zerr:
Awesome. So I'm guessing your athletic nature is probably what you're going to allude as to what got you initially started with a Million Reasons Run, but I'd like you to fill that in if you don't mind.

Kendra:
Well, it just so happens that I am athletic. Unfortunately, that's not what motivated me to get involved with this run. We lost a son several years back and unfortunately, you find yourself in a position really just looking for some way to connect to that and to keep his memory alive and to make some sense of it or use of what you went through. And I think for me, finding an opportunity to really do something in his name, but also do something that might potentially help other families to avoid going through the same tragedy. It was what inspired me to start and the following year, getting ready for the second run unfortunately, our youngest at two years of age was diagnosed as a type one diabetic and is currently a and will be until he is 18, a patient at SickKids in Toronto.
So for me, it seems I'm infinitely connected to SickKids and I'm always, I'm in awe of the work they do and of what the teams do and the doctors and nurses and the organizations that support it that really allow for children like Bodhi, my diabetic warrior to drive and to have an opportunity to have a great life. So I have a lot of personal reasons. I have a lot of people in my life who have gone through similar experiences and really require the services and the research that come out of these facilities across this country.
And so every opportunity I have one, to help share that education and two, to raise funds to help support these teams and doctors that are keeping children like mine alive. Obviously for me, it's natural for me to want to be involved and it just so happens that it's helpful that I'm athletic when it comes to the fact that the event happens to be a run, but I mean, as far as I'm concerned, you get out, you show up, you move, and you're doing your part to really be a part of this. So my athletics come in handy, but they're not a necessity for this at all.

Becki Zerr:
Aw. Well, I'm, first of all, I'm sincerely sorry about your loss and thank you very much for your honesty and willingness to share your story on the podcast today. I honestly wasn't expecting that as your answer, so I appreciate your genuineness. What is your favourite part of volunteering for a fundraising walk like this? I mean, what are some of the positive takeaways, obviously besides nurturing the relationship between and the funds between the hospital and that type of thing, is there anything else you're left with?

Kendra:
For me, everything in life is about showing up. Everything is about community and really putting in an effort to show up for one another when we can. And I don't think we have any right to expect others to show up for us if we're not willing to do that. And so for me, it's kind of that community involvement and a lot of the work I do is in the space of service and being a part of other people's journeys. I also work in mental health, so it's something that I feel very strongly about. And I mean this event is just, there's so many facets of it that are just incredible for myself. I mean, I benefit from it, and I benefit from staying active and getting outside and connecting to the people in the hospitals, the teams that I worked with and becoming a champion of this event. And also the people who have joined me in the journey. I've made friends for life, those people who have showed up and decided to take part in this event with me and join my team.
So there's just really so many opportunities that come out of this. And I think that especially with events that are kind of focused around specifics, whether it be a children's hospital or a certain illness, I think that a lot of times people aren't necessarily drawn to them until they're forced to understand the need for them. And so having an opportunity to kind of use my platform to help others understand how quickly your need might be and how quickly it becomes a necessity for somebody you know or yourself to have access to the care that's provided. It's not something I ever want anybody to feel, but at the same time, it's a reality. I mean, you look at the statistics at how many children are seen daily by children's hospitals across our country and how many surgeries are performed daily and how many lives are saved daily. This is a necessity. And for me, I don't feel as though I'm doing anything grand by showing up. I'm just honoured to be a part of it.

Becki Zerr:
Yeah. No, I can definitely relate in a different way. When you say show up on the good days, I very abruptly lost my eyesight almost 10 years ago, and I went from being a registered nurse to somebody who felt like I couldn't function my own manner. But anyways, I appreciated all the support that I received at that time. And so part of the initiative behind this podcast is to be able to give back on those good days somewhat similar to what you were saying. So following up on that kind of conversation and the kids and all the benefit to the kids hospital, what do you think about children stepping forward as volunteers for fundraising walks like this?

Kendra:
I mean, I'm somebody who thinks our children teach us so much. I mean, every day since Bodhi's been diagnosed, I can't count the number of days he's carried us through. He's made it possible for us to survive. And I mean, our experience is so different and at the same time, he just takes it a day at a time and shows up for himself and shows up in a way that makes it a lot easier to believe that he's going to be okay in those moments where there's the fear of the unknown and the fear of what he might face. And I think that the more and more we see it in the world today, children take the lead in so many places and I think that it's incredible to see. And I think supporting them and giving them that opportunity to understand service to others and understand what it is to truly make a difference and learn what it takes to do that.
I think there's such huge benefit to that and especially when it comes to the misfortune and the amount of unrest we have in the world and people, it's so easy to spread hatred. It's so easy to spread conflict. And to genuinely teach a generation and allow them the opportunity to show up on behalf of their peers and on behalf of themselves and really truly experience a difference that makes, I think it's a lesson that is just, it's underutilized. And the more and more events and opportunity there are for kids to get involved, I think it's amazing.

Becki Zerr:
Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Kendra, for your words that you shared with us today. I think you're going to touch a lot of people's hearts. And thank you for all the participation that you've done in raising funds for this amazing run. And last but not least, thank you so much for joining the podcast. We really appreciate you being part of it.

Kendra:
No, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Becki Zerr:
Okay guys, I totally have to admit this is my favourite part of the show. It's time to hear from the kids. I'm always just so interested in hearing their thoughts and what they're taking away from each of these volunteer opportunities. Welcome to the show, Rylan and Bennet, let's start off in our typical fashion. Bennet, do you want to start off by telling everybody about our volunteer opportunity that we had today to participate in, but Rylan remember at any point you can jump in and help him out.

Bennet:
So today we did The Million Reasons Run, and what we did is we walked around our community and just, we walked and bought these shirts and they raised proceeds for any local children's hospital. And so we chose the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital.

Becki Zerr:
So volunteering to be part of a fundraising walk is totally different than anything we've done this season. But I'm wondering what was the experience like for you guys?

Bennet:
So my experience that we did today is it was just fun. We got to walk around the community and talk and hang out and bond, and then we also got to go for Slurpees and walk around and it was actually a nice day out. So yeah, that was good.

Rylan:
Yeah, I thought it was pretty good because we got to hang out with each other and it was a nice day and all together it was pretty good. Yeah.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Okay. So we've learned through our volunteering that small gestures do add up. So from your perspective, what does it feel like to know that you guys have been able to help out the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital here?

Bennet:
It felt pretty good because raising that money, it wasn't a lot. It doesn't have to be a lot, but that money could go towards an x-ray or something that would help someone save a life and could help them diagnose something that's rare or something in your body.

Rylan:
Yeah, really the same thing because the money that we raised or whatever will help save someone's life maybe, or probably.

Becki Zerr:
Okay. What was your favourite part of today's experience?

Rylan:
It's kind of hard to choose, but I thought my favourite part was just hanging out with each other and getting to talk while we walked today.

Bennet:
Yeah, so was mine.

Becki Zerr:
Okay. Do you guys have any final thoughts or anything else you'd like to add in?

Bennet:
I would recommend other kids taking part in a walk or adult, but yeah, it was really fun.

Rylan:
Just if you can. Not just kids can do this walk. Anybody can, any ages.

Becki Zerr:
Okay. It's time for your final kindness challenge. What did you guys put together for us today?

Bennet:
Our kindness challenge for today is for anyone to take part in a walk of their choice. It doesn't have to be The Million Reasons Run. It could be a eyesight one, like night steps we used to have and there was go for arthritis or Alzheimer's and lots of that stuff, like Terry Fox Run even too, and make a donation. Buy the shirt if they have one. It's pretty cool.

Becki Zerr:
Aw, nice work you two. And I just wanted to say, Bennet, I think you and your friends put forth a lot of really great challenges this season, so thanks so much for putting all of your effort into putting these challenges together and getting the community involved. I really do think it made a difference. Okay. This is when I would typically do my final thoughts, but today I thought I would invite in my partner in crime to come and have a chat with me to reflect over this amazing season of the Raising Kindness podcast. So bud, where should we start?

Bennet:
I just want to say it was so much fun going around and just helping people, like the little things like going and buying those flowers for the elderly people and that made their day or week.

Becki Zerr:
Yeah.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
So I think that we should maybe share with the viewers a little bit about how we kind of came up with this podcast and what you honestly thought when I proposed to you that you should come on this podcast with me. I mean, at that moment, how crazy did you think I actually was?

Bennet:
I didn't grasp the idea off the start. I didn't think it was going to be that great, but after, I didn't think it was going to be good. After the first one, it turned out really good. I got the idea, I got everything. It was fun volunteering and going around and just going around in our neighbourhood and seeing what's in our community and seeing the different angles of people.

Becki Zerr:
Well, thanks for your vote of confidence, but I mean, what was it like for you to have some of your closest friends participate in the podcast with you?

Bennet:
It was pretty fun. I think it was a bonding thing. My friends, I think they got a lot of knowledge and enjoyment out of it, and it was like lots of my friends were at school. Oh, guess what guys we got to go and volunteer at, we made flowers and I think they quite enjoyed it.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, so you think they actually enjoyed it?

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, cool. What did you find to be the most tricky or challenging part of doing this podcast with me?

Bennet:
Okay. I'm going to be completely honest.

Becki Zerr:
Okay.

Bennet:
I absolutely sucked at the promos, sucked. It was insane. I had two lines that I could not get. It took me half an hour to get two lines and it was like, it wasn't even that hard. I couldn't get it. It was dumb.

Becki Zerr:
Well, I can't really deny that, but it was fun.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Okay. So what do you think you're going to remember the most about working on the Raising Kindness podcast with your mom?

Bennet:
I don't know. I think just us bonding, like I think me, my friends and you, we all bonded and got to know each other more and got to just see the experience of what's happening in the city.

Becki Zerr:
Oh, I completely agree. It was like a blast having you. It was kind of like, I have to admit, having you with me was kind of like a security blanket. So I mean, I was nervous going into some of these places because I can't see properly much. Right. But having you there with me and even your buddies, because as the season progressed, they totally get it.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Right. And so it was just really reassuring. So thank you. I do appreciate that.

Bennet:
You're welcome.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, so what were some of your very favourite moments? I mean, it's going to be hard to narrow it down, but can you pick a couple?

Bennet:
I think one of my favourite experiences was helping out at the senior home. And it was just fun because those flowers weren't like, they weren't a million dollars, but it was just a small gesture. It made their day and week. Lots of them were, oh, that's so nice. What organization are you from? How much do we have to pay for them? They thought that was really awesome.

Becki Zerr:
Yeah, I think you did create a lot of happiness that day.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
And just genuine. They were just genuinely kind of a little bit confused initially, like why are you coming here to do this for me? And so happy. I'm glad that you remembered that one because that was way at the beginning.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
I think for me, one of my very, I mean, it's hard to really narrow it all down because I have little glimmers from each of them. I love the bonding experience you had with the CNIB,

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Kids swimming with them. I love walking away feeling, how you guys were able to just connect.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
I love baking muffins with you guys at the Regina Food for Learning Program. That was pretty cool.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
And seeing how you guys were able to get muffin-making tips and techniques that we have implemented.

Bennet:
Yeah. I honestly have to say your muffins are better now.

Becki Zerr:
Thank you. Thank you.

Bennet:
They aren't soggy.

Becki Zerr:
Thanks. Okay, so moving on. What are your thoughts now about volunteering now that you've had 10 opportunities to do different volunteer experiences?

Bennet:
I think volunteering's just awesome. I think it's just fun. It's the small gestures. It doesn't have to be grand. It's like the, for example, the fridge, community fridge, it was, we donated a couple of things and everybody thought that was awesome and somebody could use that. And it doesn't have to be donating $10,000 to someone. It can be donating like $20. That could help someone and help them in the future.

Becki Zerr:
Yeah.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Playing bingo with the kids.

Bennet:
Yeah, that. Yeah, UNO.

Becki Zerr:
UNO. Right. I mean,

Bennet:
Got some tips from that.

Becki Zerr:
You did. You got schooled by them too, so.

Bennet:
Yes.

Becki Zerr:
I mean that was fun.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Okay, bud, do you have any final thoughts or comments?

Bennet:
I think it was super fun hanging out with you and all my friends and yeah.

Becki Zerr:
Me too. It was a blast. I'm super grateful for this opportunity into AMI for extending this opportunity to us. And thank you for granting me the ability to humour me and participate in the podcast, even when you thought that it was a little bit crazy.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
I appreciate you hanging in there with me.

Bennet:
Yeah.

Becki Zerr:
And all your help.

Bennet:
Thank you.

Becki Zerr:
Well, there are a few people that I'd like to say a quick thank you to that helped make this podcast totally possible. First off, AMI-audio, Andy Frank, Mr. Markafelo, and all of the amazing organizations that we had an opportunity to work with as well as their volunteers. A big thank you to all of the kids, Rylan, Zaren, Colby, Danica, and Jackson, and of course to my adorable son, Bennet. Thanks buddy for all of your tech support and for being right beside me on this adventure. Thanks to my dad for his chauffeur services. And thank you to Brad, my husband, for all of his behind-the-scenes help. And last but not least, thank you to the podcast supporters and all of the viewers. Take care. And thanks so much for watching.
And that's a wrap on this episode of Raising Kindness with me, Becki Zerr. Thanks so much to all of my guests and to you for tuning in. Be sure to check us out on social media. You'll find us on Facebook and Instagram at raising.kindness.podcast. And don't forget you're going to want to like and subscribe to the podcast on YouTube and your favourite podcast platform. See you again soon.