We Love Leo

Every so often you encounter a boy like Leo. This amazing 5 year old chose to host an ECHOage party for his birthday in support of World Animal Protection Canada. What a fantastic cause this is and ECHOage is so proud to be partnered with them. This charity has worked for over 30 years to expose animal cruelty and prevent animal suffering. Leo, you really made a difference in the world. You protected so many animals. We congratulate you. Love ECHOage XOXO

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Isabelle Shines Her Light

Every once in awhile you meet a child who changes your perspective. Meet Isabelle.

In her own words:

“I was born 2 months early and was diagnosed with Hirschsprungs. I spent the first two months of my life in the hospital and was taken care of by some amazing doctors and nurses. The hospitals I stayed at were UAB Hospital and Childrens Hospital, Birmingham AL. I choose to support SickKids to give back because there are a lot of kids that need help.”

And why did Isabelle choose Bloxels Build and Kano Kit as her gifts?

“I love coding and building things as well as playing Minecraft and digital games. I thought it would be cool to learn how to design my own video game and build my own computer.”

Isabelle, you are a child who has impacted the adults around you. All of us at ECHOage are feeling this way. Happy Birthday to you, you are an amazing girl. Kids can do so much more than adults think! Our smiles and thanks go to you Isabelle, Love ECHOage XO

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Our Baby Turned Double-Digits!

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Our baby turned double-digits. ECHOage celebrates its 10th birthday this year and 10 MILLION DOLLARS raised by children for the charities they love! These amazing kids supported schools, libraries, hospitals, food banks, animal shelters, camps and other causes in need of funding. We celebrate each child who helped make their birthday party something really special. Here’s to 10 MILLION raised and all the generous, thoughtful kids who make ECHOage a better way to celebrate!

 


Nuts for Nuts

Meet Julian. He’d like to eat peanut butter one day. But he has a severe nut allergy. This amazing 8 year old boy wants kids with allergies to have an easier time. Guess what, so do we! Julian chose Food Allergy Canada for his ECHOage party so kids with allergies will get to eat peanut butter one day! Julian, all of us at ECHOage are fighting for that day to come. Love ECHOage

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Kids Can Do More Than Adults Think

Ask any child in your life: “Can kids do more than adults think?” They will undoubtedly say: YES! Test it out and let us know the responses you get. We ask kids this question regularly … they always tell us: Yes, Yes, Yes! ECHOage is a great example of how much kids can do. Check out our HERO of the day: Matthew, age 8. He chose to support: POGO (The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario). He wanted to ensure that families who are struggling with a child undergoing cancer treatment are supported. Matthew, our hats off to you. You are our hero.

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Aeriel says: Kids Are The Priority

Aeriel believes that children’s health is the top priority. She’s only 4 years old and she has her priorities straight! Aeriel supported SickKids and got a doll house, a kitchen set and skates. We want to wish a her a very special 4th birthday and thank her for her amazing generosity. Go Aeriel! Love ECHOage

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A little sunshine for your day – Brielle

It’s amazing what kids can do. Brielle turned 11. And she made sure it was special. Brielle chose World Wildlife Fund to support at her ECHOage party. In her words:

“I picked WWF Canada because I love animals and I want to make sure the animals are looked after.”

As for her birthday gifts, Brielle asked for a new Cheer bag because she is a competitive cheer athlete and she needed a backpack to carry her things. Books are Brielle’s first love and she can never have too many.

Brielle is our hero.

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Victoria, Michael Garron Hospital Foundation, and “the moustache”…

It’s true there are many stories on ECHOage that make us cry, laugh, sigh. This one is unique, and worth retelling, it made us all stop and say: “Wow”. In the words of Victoria’s mom Amy, here is the story:

We live in a great house in East York, just a few blocks from Michael Garron Hospital where Victoria was born. The hospital is also where Victoria was cared for after a recent fall at school. Victoria fell and hit her head. Paramedics were called and she and I rode in the ambulance together. Victoria was captivated by the paramedics, who made her feel safe when she was scared and hurt. One of them had a crazy moustache, which Victoria thought was just about the coolest thing ever. When it was time to plan her birthday, we talked about ECHOage. Victoria said she wanted to “help kids and babies where I was born, and where “the moustache” helped me when I fell”. One of Victoria’s classmates’ dad is a police officer. When he heard about Victoria’s generosity, he felt compelled to track down “the moustache”. He found him! And he was able to come to Victoria’s birthday party to say “thank you” in person for Victoria’s donation to the hospital. They even let Victoria and her friends explore the ambulance!

Victoria has spastic dilpegia, a type of cerebral palsy (CP). CP affects everyone differently. For Victoria, she has very tight muscles in her legs, which make it difficult to walk. She wears leg braces and uses a walker to get around. Recently, we have been borrowing a used ice sledge so that she can go on school skating trips at our local arena. For her birthday, she received her very own, made-just-for-her ice sledge.

Happy Birthday To Victoria from the whole team at ECHOage! You made us cry, laugh, sigh. We’ll all be thinking of you throughout the holiday season, of you, your amazing generosity, of “the moustache” and the ice sledge. Thank you Victoria and Amy. XOXO ECHOage

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SavvyMom and ECHOage

It was 2007 when ECHOage and SavvyMom first met. SavvyMom Co-Founder Sarah Morgenstern and ECHOage Co-Founder Debbie Zinman sat on the floor together at a mommy-toddler music class, with their two year old daughters climbing on them while they chatted. They got to talking about moms, babies and well, you know, great ideas that make life easier for families. ECHOage Co-Founder Alison Smith had met the amazing Co-Founders of SavvyMom, Minnow and Sarah, too, so their first coffee together involved smiles and nods, smiles and nods. The very first national article ever written about ECHOage appeared in SavvyMom in 2007.  And 10 years later, the kids are older, the moms are wiser (only a bit) and Heather Dixon highlights some of the fabulous kids who are the heart of ECHOage. You want chills up your spine? Read her post. And cheers to Sarah, Minnow, Ali and Deb. Women who were on a mission to make life better for moms. And they did. XOXO

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Six Year Old Avery Supported Because I Am A Girl and Got a Big Birthday Gift

Today Avery is our Hero. Here’s Why…While going through the list of charities on ECHOage, Avery’s Mom explained that Because I Am A Girl is a charity that help little girls around the world have the same rights as boys. By supporting this charity, Avery would be able to help girls go to school and have healthcare the same as the boys. When she heard that other little girls didn’t have the same right as boys she said “That’s not fair! Girls should have all the same things that boys do. I want to pick this charity.”‘

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