COVID-19 Updates

We're still here and still smiling! With the developments of COVID-19 we have had to put a lot on hold here at Smilezone. The health of patients, children, event participants, our team and of course the health care workers who are being absolute heroes right now, are top priority for us. Due to the nature of our work in health care facilities, we have worked with our partner centres to postpone our projects until it is safe to continue. We also made the difficult decision to cancel our anticipated 24-Hour Hockey Tournament to keep all of those participating, safe. The Mississauga Marathon has also been postponed to a later date. While we may have pressed pause on some of our operations for now, there is still tons of action here! We continue to work hard to pick up right where we left off and continue to spread smiles to all of you! With little ones at home and out of school, the Coronavirus might be a tricky subject to discuss. We wanted to share a few key points taken from PBS on how to talk to your kids about COVID-19. Share age-appropriate facts and correct misinformation Reassure them that they are safe! Teach them ways you as a family can tackle germs (in a fun way!) Read the full article and "germ-busting" tips by clicking the button below.

Read PBS: How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronovirus

Quarantine Contests! Smilezone At-Home Activities

Health care is our jam; we care about each and every one of you and encourage everyone to stay home! With parks closed along with everything else, we know that staying home can be tough (and can get boring really fast!). That's why we have decided to come up with some fun quarantine contests and activities for children and families to do together over the next few weeks. Keep your eye on our social media to keep up with the latest fun! Upcoming: Pancake Challenge See a Smile, Share a Smile Show your moves dance contest Hockey Skills Showcase challenge Easter-themed activities Crafts Child-centred yoga Scavenger Hunt and tons more! Quarantine Contents prizes! AGO tickets Hockey puck signed by Stanley Cup winner Ryan O'Reilly $25 gift cards to Sunny Side Grill chocolate Bars 1Wave hand-made bracelets So much more!! A big thank you to our partners who have donated these fabulous prizes!

‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Introducing #WellnessWednesdays!

Every Wednesday we will be live on Instagram sharing crafts, kid-centred yoga activities, cooking workshops for kids, reading some of our favourite children's books and more! Make sure to follow us on Instagram to never miss a #WellnessWednesday!

Visit Our Instagram

Our Contest Winners so far!

Chloe won our very first Quarantine contest with her artistic - and adorable - pancake bunny! Congrats to Chloe for winning a $25 gift card for Sunny Side Grill

We asked our followers to share some love for health care workers by creating window heart mobiles! Congrats to Landyn for his Smilezone-themed mobile.

Hearts for Heroes: #GivingTuesdayNow

Giving Tuesday has decided to host the annual global movement, Giving Tuesday, on May 5th this year to help non-profits during COVID-19 quarantine. Coining #GivingTuesdayNow, this movement comes at a time in need for organizations who are eager to get back to fulfilling their missions. While we appreciate your donations and support, we encourage you to support your local hospitals this #GivingTuesdayNow as they tackle the effects of COVID-19. Should you choose to donate this Giving Tuesday Now, we would love to recognize your support! Create Hearts for Heroes by writing the Hospital or organization you donate to on a paper heart and share the photo with us (with or without your name or social media handle). We will compile and share your photos on our social media to let health care and workers know how grateful we are for all they do to keep our country safe and healthy. You can send us your Hearts for Heroes by email or through our social media pages. If you would still like to donate to Smilezone, you can through the secure link below.

Smilezone Donation Form

Ask An Expert: Landyn Foster

This month we interviewed 5.5 year old (because the .5 is important!) Landyn Foster! Learn how he keeps busy during social distancing.

What are some of your favourite things to do? I love playing games and watching YouTube. I like to ride my bike but we can't go to the parks right now, and hanging out with my friend Paige. What fun things have you been doing at home while you're at school? I am fantastic at art so I make lots of crafts, and play Minecraft of course! I have dance parties with my mom and we have movie nights with popcorn and blankies If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Mexico! Because it's hot and I always want to be at the beach What do you think Smilezones are for? For helping children and making them [Smilezones] fun for kids. What do you love most about Smilezone? There are games and they're fun places to be. I liked going to the Kids zone [at the 24-Hour Hockey Tournament] because there were bouncy castles and the magician was fun! If you were in a Smilezone what would you want to play with? The iPads! Or the game that's on the floor [GestureTek] What do you do to keep germs away? I wash my hands while singing a song so I get all the germs. You can't see germs but I saw what they look like in Google and they look like weird spiky balls. I also have my Landyn's List of things that I clean every day to get rid of germs in my house.

SAYING THANK YOU TO OUR HEALTH CARE PARTNERS

In light of COVID-19 we wanted to thank all of the health care workers who are working long hours, sacrificing time with their families, to save lives. We encourage everyone to visit the social media pages of your local health care centres to leave some comments of positivity! Here at Smilezone we would like to thank all of our partner centres past, present and future, and are wishing good heath to everyone. If you would like to say thank you to health care workers, below are the centres we have worked with in the past year; head over to their social media pages or websites and leave a message of gratitude! Seasons Centre for Grieving Children ErinoakKids Foothille Medical Centre Youth Substance Use & mental Health Services Headwaters Health Care Centre Cambridge Memorial Hospital Markham-Stouffville Hospital Etobicoke General Hospital Woodview Mental Health and Autism Services Lighthouse for Grieving Children Tork Children's Aid Society Milton District Hospital Alexandra Marine & General Hospital Five Counties Children's Hospital Gildas Club Gane Yohs Community Health Centre *Remember, say home to help stop the spread of COVID-19*

Hoppy Easter!!

Our furry friend Buddha the Bunny would like to wish everyone a 'hoppy" Easter! Stay tuned for some fun, Easter-themed crafts through our social media pages!

Visit Our Website

Contact Us info@smilezone.com Smilezone Foundation 557 Chartwell Road Oakville, Ontario L6J 4A8 905-951-2978

What We Do Ways to Give Events FAQ Contact