We will now be able to see the children of One Kids Place smile even with their masks on.
Two-time Stanley Cup winner Adam Graves’ foundation, Smilezone donated 200 reusable facemasks to be split between One Kids Place and the North Bay Regional Health Centre.
Smilezone usually outfits hospitals and health centres with designated areas for kids to enjoy themselves while undergoing treatments.
The foundation is not able to renovate any facilities during the pandemic, so they have pivoted to provide reusable face masks for children receiving treatment. They are doing this through a buy-one-give-one campaign, which donates a children’s mask for every face mask purchased through Smilezone.
Graves, a co-founder of Smilezone, says that his foundation is simply trying to spread some happiness.
“That’s why we have a smile on the mask – because you don’t get to see kids smiling,” Graves said at a media event outside One Kids Place. “A smile is the simplest thing in life and right now, we don’t have enough of it.”
Brenda Loubert, Executive Director of One Kids Place, says that the mask donation is greatly appreciated.
“We’re absolutely honoured to receive these masks today. Certainly, in the delivery of our services we are required to wear them so it’s certainly a pleasure to receive these masks,” she said.
Loubert adds that One Kids Place can never have too much Personal Protective Equipment.
“We’re always receiving more masks. Every mask will be used, no question. As we know, these will be over time, it’s not just today,” she explained.
In addition to the 200 masks initially donated, all Smilezone masks purchased in North Bay result in another childrens masks being donated.
Smilezone has previously worked with One Kids Place, building two of its Smile Zones at the facility in 2016 in a partnership that involved the North Bay Battalion.Â
