Children's Hospital Foundation

Every year, ten thousand babies need the Alberta Children’s Hospital before their first birthday. That’s one out of two babies born in southern Alberta.

By supporting this year’s Candy Cane Gala, you are helping to fund both ground-breaking research and enhanced care… to help these babies get the best chance for a healthy life.

The money raised from this event will fund a study never before done in Canada – one that follows 3,300 moms and babies from pregnancy up until the kids are six years old. This research will examine the impact of pregnancy and early experiences on child development, so experts can better predict, prevent and intervene in child health issues as soon as possible.

This year, you are also helping babies who rely on around-the-clock care in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. These infants are so critically-ill that disruptions in temperature, sound and movement cause them stress which could seriously affect their recovery and development. Your donations will help the hospital purchase state-of-the-art incubators which provide the ideal healing environment - precisely controlled temperature, humidity and oxygen supply, as well as the most sophisticated access and built-in monitoring technology available.

And finally, thanks to you, our specialists will be able to work toward a world first clinical trial to help babies with intestinal failure. Nearly once a week, a baby is admitted to our hospital with a digestive system so damaged that they can no longer absorb the nutrients they need to live and grow. Without treatment, they face slow starvation and death. Thanks to community support, our specialists have built world-leading expertise in saving these babies and - with support from the gala - are working with a naturally-produced hormone to create what they hope will be a life-saving cure for these fragile babies.

On behalf of all the babies and families who will benefit from these important improvements made possible through this year’s gala, thank you!