West Vancouver boy, 11, raising money to buy toys and tablets for sick children at BC Children’s Hospital

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An 11-year-old from West Vancouver who raised $ 60,000 in donations and gifts for BC Children’s Hospital in 2020 hopes to reprise Santa for young and sick patients this year.

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“The children are very sick every day. So this year, our goal is to collect as many gifts as possible and have them delivered before Christmas so that they can be delivered over the holidays and also throughout the year, ”said sixth grader Jonathan“ Bear ”Yeung.

“Toys can help children cope with boredom while they recover or when they bravely await their surgeries or treatments. The tablets help them stay connected with their family and friends and also allow them to watch movies, read e-books and do their homework. “

Last year during the pandemic, Yeung, with the help of Victoria University student Landon Brown, was inspired to help sick children at the hospital whose playrooms were closed and who could have limited visits. So they reached out to their friends and family, as well as big Canadian companies for help. BC Children’s Hospital Foundation said in a statement on their website.

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As a result, the couple raised $ 14,000 in cash donations, 159 tablets and iPads, and more than 1,000 new toys, worth a total of $ 60,000, said the foundation’s community director, Rita Thodos. That was helpful “at a time when patients were facing increasing isolation due to pandemic protocols,” he explained.

This year, people can turn in their donations to Bear’s second annual Christmas Toy and Tablet Drive at any of the two dozen Dilawri Group car dealers in Metro Vancouver, or in the region four Allwest insurance agencies between November 15 and 29.

“Landon and I learned that it really takes a community to help a community. We truly believe that if we work together, we can all help illuminate the lives of many wonderful children who are fighting hard to improve, ”said Bear.

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The hospital cannot accept used toys due to infection and allergen control, and says that donations most in demand They include baby rattles and books, arts and crafts supplies, little Lego sets, and gift cards for music and video games.

Postmedia first wrote about Bear at the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020, when he was nine years old, and raised $ 6,400 to buy healthy snacks and beverages for Lions Gate Hospital workers.

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