DONATIONS AT WORK HIGHLIGHTS 2025/26

Care for the whole family at the Alberta Children’s Hospital

A child’s illness or injury can turn a family’s world upside down. At the Alberta Children’s Hospital, specialized donor-funded services are in place to help them during this unsettling time, offering free child-minding, helpful resources and accommodations to ensure families have the support they need while focusing on their child’s care.

Thanks to your generous donations, these programs have made a meaningful difference for thousands of families in our community over the past year.

Emily’s Backyard

During her pregnancy, Christina and her husband Luke learned that their son Joey would be born with myelomeningocele spina bifida — a condition in which the spinal column does not fully close.

Since his birth, Joey has received ongoing care at the Alberta Children’s Hospital through multiple clinics.

Christina knew how critical these appointments were for Joey’s health, but worried what it would be like navigating long hospital days with his older brother and sisters in tow.

The family was soon introduced to the community-funded Emily’s Backyard, which offers free child-minding services for parents who are attending appointments or inpatient with their child. For Christina, this meant she could focus on Joey and the information being shared during his appointments, all the while knowing his siblings were in good hands.

“When we first received my son’s diagnosis, childcare quickly became a significant source of stress,” says Christina. “I knew we would have to figure something out for Joey’s siblings.”

“Emily’s Backyard changed everything for us. Having a safe, welcoming space inside the hospital where my kids can play and be cared for has made an incredible difference. It allows me to be fully present during my son’s appointments, and for my three older kids, it has become a very special place. They’re greeted by name, they feel known and are comfortable. They get to experience moments of joy and connection, which has completely reshaped how our family views time at the hospital.”
— Christina, Joey’s mom

Last year, Emily’s Backyard provided specialized care and support for 4,969 kids — 4,444 in its main location in the Alberta Children’s Hospital and 525 at the Child Development Centre across the street.

Family and Community Resource Centre

For many families, a child’s diagnosis can be the beginning of a difficult and often overwhelming journey. With so much information available, finding trustworthy resources can be challenging.

The Family and Community Resource Centre (FCRC) helps families navigate this experience by providing credible information and connections to both hospital and community resources. The team also provides books that help children better understand their diagnosis or offer comfort, distraction and moments of joy.

Last year, the FCRC launched the ambulatory clinic book cart program, a rolling cart which brings books directly to patients, expanding services to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Mental Health Unit.

Over the past year, librarians had 2,847 interactions with patients and families, while 8,151 books and Kindles were loaned or renewed through the FCRC library.

Family accommodations

Thanks to your generosity, families have access to short-term accommodations within the Colonel Harland Sanders Family Centre, located onsite at the hospital. Conveniently situated on the second floor, the centre features five family suites, complete with bedrooms, showers and shared amenities including a kitchen, living area and laundry facilities. The space offers families a welcoming place to rest while their child receives care.

Last year, thanks to donors, 196 families were able to use these rooms for a total of 1,015 nights

STAR Fund

Thanks to generous community support, critical assistance was available to thousands of families through the Short-Term Assistance Resources (STAR) Fund last year. For families facing financial barriers while accessing care at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the STAR Fund can be truly life-changing. By helping cover some of the costs associated with hospital stays and medical appointments, the funding ensured families could focus on health and healing rather than financial stress.

With support for necessities such as parking, meals, transportation, fuel and medical equipment, timely relief was provided to families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

Families also received support for other essential items such as baby formula, hearing aids, car seats, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and other supplies.

Over the past year, 2,314 families received a total of $360,430 in financial support.