A Smilezone provides a bright, fun, and comforting space in a healthcare centre for children
and their families to enjoy. Smilezones can be transformed in waiting rooms, treatment
rooms, playrooms, and other patient care spaces. Each Smilezone is fully customized based
on the needs of the children and families using the space on a regular basis. We offer
inclusive and interactive opportunities to children of all abilities by incorporating
accessible technology and sensory experiences in our Smilezones. As of 2024, Smilezone
Foundation has transformed 380+ Smilezones in 75+ communities across Canada.
The idea of Smilezone started when Adam Graves and Scott Bachly were approached to make a financial contribution to the construction of a local hospital in Oakville, ON. The request made Adam and Scott realize they wanted to make a difference, not only in their own community, but in communities across the country. As fathers themselves, they wanted to give sick children a place to experience a break from their day-to-day challenges; simply, a place that would put a smile on a kid’s face! This determination led to the creation of the Smilezone Foundation, established in 2012.
Smilezone Foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, which consists of
fourteen dedicated professionals who strongly believe in the mission and vision of the
Foundation. Smilezone has four staff members who are responsible for the development,
operation and administration of the Foundation. Finally, Smilezone is supported by a group
of committed and enthusiastic volunteers.
A Smilezone provides a bright, fun, and accessible space in a healthcare centre for children and their families to enjoy. Smilezones can be transformed in waiting rooms, treatment rooms, playrooms, and other custom patient care. Each Smilezone is fully customized based on the needs of the children and families using the space on a regular basis. We offer inclusive and interactive opportunities to children of all abilities by incorporating accessible technology and sensory experiences in our Smilezones.
Smilezone Foundation truly believes that you cannot put a price on a smile! Smilezones are designed to fit the unique needs of each partner facility we work with, which means that costs will vary from build-to-build depending on the scope of work required. The Foundation works diligently with our partner facilities and local funders to set a budget that will give every child who visits the Smilezone an opportunity to smile!
To date, Smilezone Foundation has transformed 380+ Smilezones in communities
across Canada! More than 300,000 children and their families visit our Smilezones every
year, bringing smiles to their faces every time they walk through the door. A full list of our
completed Smilezones and upcoming transformations can be found on our website, at
www.smilezone.com
Each Smilezone is fully customized with our hospital partners to ensure smile satisfaction.
A collaborative and client-centred approach to each Smilezone design is our top priority.
The Smilezone Team will identify, design, coordinate, and evaluate Smilezones in
partnership with the hospital’s clinical staff team, in order to identify the needs of children
and families utilizing the space. After months of planning, Smilezone transformations
take place entirely over one weekend, from set-up to clean up – children, families and
staff are blown away by the changes when they walk in the doors on Monday morning!
That’s fantastic, we love to hear ideas for potential Smilezones! Please contact us at info@smilezone.com or (905) 951–2978 with your suggestion or nominate a Smilezone from our website at https://www.smilezone.com/what-we-do/apply-for-a-smilezone/
The cost of a foursome is $3,800.00 and that includes 18 holes of golf for 4 people and a celebrity, all meals and beverages throughout the day!
We only accept foursome (4 people) registrations for our golf tournament. However, if you are interested in golfer and do not have a foursome to play with, contact Kelsey Drha, Special Event Coordinator, at kdrha@smilezone.com to determine if there are any available spots.
Registration opens at 8:30am until 9:30am, with a shot gun start at 10:00am sharp! Players will enjoy their round of golf until about 3:30pm and will proceed to the cocktail hour until 5:00pm. Dinner is seated and served at 5:00pm, with a night full of fun activities such as heads or tails, silent auction and our live auction!
We have had various celebrities attend our tournament from Sport icons, musicians, entertainers and more! To name a few we’ve had in attendance: Ron MacLean – Hockey Night in Canada Host, Eric Lindros – Retired NHL Player, Adam Graves – Retired NHL Player,Tom Cochrane – Musician, Tim Oxford – Arkell’s Drummer, Damon Allen – Retired CFL Player, Sean Monahan – Current Calgary Flames NHL Player, Ryan O’Reilly – Current St. Louis Blues NHL Player, Anthony Cirelli – Current Tampa Bay Lightening NHL Player, Elliotte Friedman – Sports Broadcaster, Lindsay Hamilton – Sports Broadcaster, Laura Stacey – Team Canada, Megan Bozek – Team USA and MORE!
If a person pays for a foursome personally, then they are eligible to receive a tax receipt for the amount minus the benefits of the day. If a business pays for a foursome, then the company is eligible to receive a Business Expense Receipt for the amount minus the benefits of the day. For more information regarding this, please email Kelsey Drha, Special Event Coordinator, at kdrha@smilezone.com.
Register online at www.24hourhockey.com using the team name and password your team captain provided you! If you are the team captain, email Kelsey Drha, Special Event Coordinator at kdrha@smilezone.com, to collect your team username and password! Once your transaction is complete, you will receive a confirmation email and will be able to login to your participant centre. See below for full instructions on how to join a team! How much money does my team need to raise to participate?
There is no minimum, however because your team will be playing 5 games over 24 hours we recommend having a minimum of 12 skaters and one goalie. If you would like to have more than 15 players on your team because not all of your players can make all of the games, please note that there will only be 15 jerseys provided.
Each 12-15 person team will be required to raise a minimum of $9,000, collectively. We encourage all players to contribute to this minimum equally and raise their share of the funds – a team works best when all players are contributing!
The participant centre is available to all participants by going to the www.24hourhockey.com website and logging in using your username and password. Without the participant centre you will find your personal page and fundraising tools. You can use the email and social tools to share the event and solicit donations from your friends and family!
Donating to an individual or team online is easy! Go to the www.24hourhockey.com website, click on the “Donate” button in the top right corner and select “Individual”, “Team” or “Event”. From there you can search the player or team you want to donate to. You can also collect cash or cheque donations and mail them to Smilezone Foundation to be applied to your team’s total. If you have any problems call us at 905-951-2978 x 312.
Smilezone Foundation relies on the generous financial support of individual donors and
corporate supporters. Additionally, the Foundation raises funds by hosting special events
throughout the year, including our Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament and Annual "Hockey
Helping Kids" Tournament.
Smilezone Foundation is a registered charity (#825656507RR0001). General donations can
be processed through the Smilezone website at www.smilezone.com - Visa, MasterCard and
American Express are all accepted methods of payment, and tax receipts will be issued
within 48 hours. Cheques can also be mailed directly to the Smilezone office, at 557
Chartwell Road, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 4A8
Only 8 cents from ever dollar is spent on administration costs, that means almost all of your donation goes directly to making tough days brighter for children receiving medical care! We use donations to provide sensory play, elements of physical therapy, art and music and simple comforts of home into health care facilities.
Yes! As party of our Planned Giving program you can donate stocks, in memory or tribute, endowments, bequests or in a number of other unique ways We also accept items for our special events silent auctions, give-aways, contests and event sponsorship! Contact ekerr@smilezone.com for information on how you can give.
Absolutely! You can donate directly to any one of our upcoming Smilezones through the Smilezone details page on our website or you can contact us to discuss your giving priorities.