On Tuesday, December 11, 2019 from 4 am to midnight, The Sunshine Foundation of Canada will be changing the lives of over 400 Metro Vancouver and Victoria area people, 80 of whom are kids and youth living with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. How?
The 64th Sunshine DreamLift will transport a plane full of kids and volunteers from Vancouver International Airport to Disneyland Park in Anaheim California. What makes this day unique is not just the fact that Sunshine travels to Disney and back in just one day, not just the severe medical conditions that some of the participants face (and how Sunshine ensures that their Disney experience is as incredible as everyone elses’), not just the 80 on-plane medical professionals that volunteer to join us – or the 100 Orange County Sheriff’s that meet us in Anaheim, but the life-changing experiences that a child gains from their experience.
Within 20 hours, a Sunshine DreamLift will give kids a true taste of independence by ensuring a child-led day of “Yes” away from their parents, medical appointments, and in a magical setting far from home. Our medical partners share that kids and youth living with complex medical conditions are at high risk for anxiety and depression and Sunshine Dream Programs like our Sunshine DreamLift expose kids to new opportunities (often many ‘firsts’) that grow their confidence and optimism – changing their lives.
WHAT: The 64th Sunshine DreamLift
WHEN: Tuesday, December 11, 2019.
Families and children arrive at the airport around 4 am. Children pass through security by 5 am.
Flight returns around midnight to cheering volunteers and families
WHERE: Vancouver International Airport
WHO: Sunshine kids & families from Metro Vancouver and Victoria; medical volunteers from BC Children’s Hospital and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children; Nancy Sutherland, Sunshine CEO.
Additional Facts:
- A significant number of kids attending this DreamLift are living with varying degrees of neuromuscular conditions (ex: muscular dystrophy).
- For the first time in Sunshine’s 32 year history, we have built a team to support a deaf-blind child’s experience of Disneyland. The child will also have the companionship of kids their own age and similar interests in their group.
For more information about The Sunshine Foundation of Canada please visit www.sunshine.ca.
