The Ramadan Toy Drive is marking five years of caring and sharing – raising over $10,000 and delivering thousands of toys to the hospital for kids receiving care!
For the past five years, the congregation of the Fort McMurray Markaz-Ul-Islam Islamic Center and the staff and students at the Fort McMurray Islamic School have launched a cash and toy drive during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the 9th lunar month of the Islamic calendar during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is a time to reflect on life, give in charity, correct bad habits, and appreciate life’s blessings which is a perfect time to think about others, especially little children receiving medical care.
We recently had a chance to distribute the donated toys to many departments in the hospital that look after children every day. The pediatrics, diagnostic imaging, emergency, allied health, and ambulatory care departments all support children’s health and the staff are excited to share the joy of a new toy with their patients. The annual cash donations have helped support advancements in the pediatric department including the creation of the new children’s mental health therapy rooms now under construction.
The Northern Lights Health Foundation is very thankful for community partners such as the Markaz-Ul-Islam congregation who continue to create and host innovative fundraising initiatives in support of our mission. Every single day hundreds of patients in our region require emergency, sustaining, and continuing care in the hospital or home setting. It takes a whole community of donors to keep local services available and robust.
