WHO WE HELP

We know that the illness impacts not just the person who is sick, but their entire family. Chai Lifeline Canada services include support for siblings, parents and children, and more:

FAMILY Programs

Our programs and services take care of everything from the mundane, like help getting to doctors’ appointments and hot meals when children are hospitalized,to the extraordinary, like medically supervised overnight camps that give children confidence, courage, and life skills they need to fight dreaded illnesses.

Aaron’s Apple

For many chronic illnesses, the only option to ease the suffering comes in the form of extremely expensive medication and treatments. Aaron’s Apple provides direct funds to eligible families for medication, treatments, and patient amenities for chronically ill children whose families cannot afford these costs.

Sponsored by:

FAMILY ASSISTANCE (Also known as Case Management)

Case management is the heart of our work at Chai Lifeline Canada. Case managers provide immediate help, information, emotional and psychological support, and access to Chai Lifeline Canada’s program and services. They deliver bespoke services based on the needs of individual families and the resources that are available.

Sponsorship Available

Family Activities

Jennifer Barkin z”l Arts and Culture Fund
The Jennifer Barkin, z”l Arts and Culture provides arts and cultural experiences for clients of Chai Lifeline Canada. As iIllness often negatively impacts Chai Lifeline client families financially, attending participating in cultural events and activities is often the first item cut from the family budget. Attending a cultural performance provides the rare opportunity to transport clients away from the stresses of illness, provides the opportunity to socialize with others who understand what they are going through, and brings gladness and joy to their hearts. Through the Fund, Chai Lifeline clients have attended concerts, plays, museums and continued with music and dance classes.

Family Events
Chai Lifeline Canada families are invited to events approximately once a month; this includes holiday-related events for Purim, Pesach, and Chanukah. For families battling serious illness, this program provides a much-needed distraction and for others, this is an opportunity to create shared family experiences with a terminally ill family member.

Family Getaways
Joyful family memories were created as five families greatly in need of a respite from their daily situations traveled to the Bahamas, Florida, Niagara Falls, San Diego, and a cottage in the Kawartha region.

Sponsored by:

Financial Assistance

Often times a parent will have to take leave from work to properly care for a seriously ill child. Chai Lifeline offers financial support during this trying time. In addition, all of our services are always free so our incredible supportive community can help families without any worry about finances.

Sponsored by:

Hospital Services

Chai Lifeline Canada case managers and volunteers ease the stress of child’s hospitalization by visiting the child and their family, bringing games and toys, and helping the family navigate the hospital. Additionally, Chai Lifeline Canada may provide transportation assistance, meals for patients and caregivers, and an ipad for children to ease the boredom of an extended hospital stay.

Sponsorship Availability

Meal Program

When a child or spouse is in treatment, families are under tremendous stress; shopping and putting healthy meals together is not a priority. Volunteer cooks prepare fresh nutritious meals and frozen meals to be used at the convenience of families. Chai Lifeline Canada provides dinners including pizza, home cooked meals, and catered meals. Depending on the circumstances, some families receive meals weekly, some twice weekly and some on an emergency basis when they are stuck in the hospital unexpectedly and the kids at home need dinner.

Sponsorship Availability

Penina’s Helping Hand

Penina’s Helping Hand provides support to children who have a seriously ill parent. Case management, counseling, special trips, toy drives, family retreats, and crisis intervention services all bring help and hope to children, families, and communities. Offerings also include an annual trip to Orlando theme parks.

Sponsored by:

Support Groups

At the height of the Covid pandemic, the case management team recognized that caregivers and parents were feeling extremely isolated. In response, they launched online support groups open to clients across Canada. This program continues both online and in person. Support groups have included: dads supporting an ill spouse, moms with cancer, teens with illness, and parents supporting isolated teens.

Sponsorship Availability

Children’s Programs

We know that the illness impacts not just the person who is sick, but their entire family. Chai Lifeline Canada services include support for siblings, parents and children, and more:

Big Sibling Program

Chai Lifeline Canada pairs ill children and their siblings with a “Big Sibling,” an older teenager or young adult. The Big and Little Siblings meet weekly to participate in social and recreational activities or to just to hang out. This provides the child with extra attention and a break from a challenging home environment. Activities include but are not limited to ice skating, going out for ice cream, and attending a movie. Many of these bonds become very strong, lasting for years beyond the illness.

Sponsored by:

Camp Lifeline

Held in both Toronto and Montreal, Camp Lifeline is a local day camp for children ages 4 to 9, who are unable to attend regular summer camps due to complex medical needs or an increased risk of contracting infection. The camp takes place during the month of July or August and provides a unique camping experience filled with play, laughter and growth in a supportive environment tailored specifically to our campers.

Sponsored by:

Camp Lifeline Away

Since 2020, Chai Lifeline Canada has offered a one-week overnight camp experience for siblings of Chai Lifeline clients and children of a parent with serious illness. Held at an overnight camp facility in Ontario at the end of each summer, this camp showers attention on children who live in homes with illness. The camp has case management staff on site 24/7.

chronically ill and disabled children and teens.

Sponsored by:

Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special

Since 2005, Chai Lifeline Canada has been sending clients to Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special, located on a beautiful 125-acre campus in New York’s scenic Catskill Mountains. Developed by pediatric specialists and camping mavens, the camp combines superb medical care with the fun and frenzy of camp life. Camp Simcha offers two-week sessions for campers with cancer and other blood disorders and Camp Simcha Special offers two-week sessions for children with chronic illnesses.

The cost to send one camper for a two-week session is $10,000 CDN. Thanks to our generous donors, Chai Lifeline Canada sends a select number of campers every summer.

Sponsored by:

Camp Lifeline Tiny Treasures

In 2023, Chai Lifeline Canada will introduce a summer Camp for babies, tots, and their caregivers. The sessions will focus on campers developing a rich variety of skills such as hand-eye coordination, language and fine motor skills through creative arts projects, music, and dance. The program will provide a positive social experience to help campers develop self-confidence. The program will take place for two hours in the morning for eight weeks.

Sponsorship Availability

Camp Simcha Without Boarders

As only a limited number of Canadian campers may attend Camp Simcha or Camp Simcha Special each summer, Chai Lifeline Canada coordinates one-day camps for different groups at private cottages. The day includes transportation to and from the cottage, water sports and other outdoor activities, a delicious lunch and dinner, and lots of fun in between. The programs are geared to the interests and abilities of the participants.

Sponsored by:

Shining Stars

Held in both Toronto and Montreal, Shining Stars provides weekly after-school fun for school children who have a sibling or a parent that is ill. This program focuses on building skills and developing friendships in a safe and supportive environment. Shining Stars includes transportation from the child’s school, homework assistance, fun and games, snacks, dinner, and then transportation home.

Sponsorship Availability

Chai Lifeline Canada provides six different types of therapy and tutoring for children.

Art Therapy

Drama Therapy

Equine Therapy

Play Therapy

Tutoring

Conventional Therapy

Sponsorship Availability

Action-packed and fun-filled adventures for children who have a sibling or parent who is seriously ill are unique opportunities to get away and nurture friendships with other children who truly understand them.

Canada Adventures

Orlando: A Penina’s Helping Hand Trip: Funded by Jeremy Rubinoff

Trip to Disneyworld: Funded by Ohr Meir

Wish at the Wall Trip to Israel: Funded by The Hartman Family Foundation

Sponsorship Availability

WOW Experiences and Gifts

When a child has been isolated due to illnesses and/or the family is unable to plan a special occasion, Chai Lifeline Canada steps in and coordinates a party for their milestone celebration, such a birthday or a bar/bat mitzvah, or brings them a WOW gift on their special day.

Sponsorship Availability

COMMUNITY Services

Crisis Intervention

Chai Lifeline’s CIT extends its support to our community in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, tragedy, or a traumatic event. The team of 15 volunteers was activated in December 2020 after an extensive training period. In previous years, they were dispatched to provide immediate support in cases of suicides, drowning of a child, a parent suddenly passing away, and COVID-related bereavement.

Sponsorship Availability

TOY DRIVE AND CHANUAKAH HEROES

Prior to Chanukah, Chai Lifeline Canada, in both Toronto and Montreal, coordinates massive toy drives. These toys are given to Chai Lifeline Canada clients at Chanukah and distributed throughout the year to bring joy to ill children and their siblings all year round.

Chanukah Heroes is also carried out at the same time; this program pairs donor families with Chai Lifeline Client families and enables the donor family to select Chanukah gifts and toys based on the wishes and needs of the Chai Lifeline Canada family. Gifts and toys are given anonymously.

Sponsorship Available

Volunteer Opportunities

Get involved by being a Big Sibling, prepare gift baskets for patients and families, visit homebound patients, be a counsellor at our social and recreational events and MORE! Chai Lifeline Canada hosts workshops and training sessions to introduce new volunteers to Chai Lifeline’s goals, practices, policies and philosophy.

Big Sibling Program
Hospital Visits
Tutoring
Rides and Deliveries

Family Events

Shining Stars

Equine Therapy

Summer Camps

Sponsorship Availability

FAMILY Programs

Aaron’s Apple

Sponsored by:

FAMILY ASSISTANCE (Also known as Case Management)

Sponsorship Available

Family Activities

Sponsored by:

Financial Assistance

Sponsored by:

Hospital Services

Sponsorship Availability

Meal Program

Sponsorship Availability

Penina’s Helping Hand

Sponsored by:

Support Groups

Sponsorship Availability

Children’s Programs

We know that the illness impacts not just the person who is sick, but their entire family. Chai Lifeline Canada services include support for siblings, parents and children, and more:

Big Sibling Program

Sponsored by:

Camp Lifeline

Sponsored by:

Camp Lifeline Away

chronically ill and disabled children and teens.

Sponsored by:

Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special

The cost to send one camper for a two-week session is $10,000 CDN. Thanks to our generous donors, Chai Lifeline Canada sends a select number of campers every summer.

Sponsored by:

Camp Lifeline Tiny Treasures

Sponsorship Availability

Camp Simcha Without Boarders

Sponsored by:

Shining Stars

Sponsorship Availability

Chai Lifeline Canada provides six different types of therapy and tutoring for children.

Art Therapy

Drama Therapy

Equine Therapy

Play Therapy

Tutoring

Conventional Therapy

Sponsorship Availability

Action-packed and fun-filled adventures for children who have a sibling or parent who is seriously ill are unique opportunities to get away and nurture friendships with other children who truly understand them.

Canada Adventures

Orlando: A Penina’s Helping Hand Trip: Funded by Jeremy Rubinoff

Trip to Disneyworld: Funded by Ohr Meir

Wish at the Wall Trip to Israel: Funded by The Hartman Family Foundation

Sponsorship Availability

WOW Experiences and Gifts

Sponsorship Availability

COMMUNITY Services

Crisis Intervention

Sponsorship Availability

TOY DRIVE AND CHANUAKAH HEROES

Sponsorship Available

Volunteer Opportunities

Big Sibling Program
Hospital Visits
Tutoring
Rides and Deliveries

Family Events

Shining Stars

Equine Therapy

Summer Camps

Sponsorship Availability

WHO WE HELP

FAMILY Programs

Meal Program

Children’s Programs

Action-packed and fun-filled adventures for children who have a sibling or parent who is seriously ill are unique opportunities to get away and nurture friendships with other children who truly understand them.

WOW Experiences and Gifts

COMMUNITY Services

FAMILY Programs

Meal Program

Children’s Programs

Action-packed and fun-filled adventures for children who have a sibling or parent who is seriously ill are unique opportunities to get away and nurture friendships with other children who truly understand them.

WOW Experiences and Gifts

COMMUNITY Services

36 HOURS.

$500,000

2X MATCH!

Minimum $18 donation per tribute card