National Convenience Week Creates Hope For Wish Kids Across Canada

National Convenience Week
July, 2021

Make-A-Wish® Canada is excited to once again partner with the Convenience Industry Council of Canada (CICC) and thousands of convenience stores across Canada to raise funds during National Convenience Week, taking place from Monday, August 30, 2021 to Friday, September 3, 2021.

National Convenience Week is an annual, end-of-summer event recognizing and celebrating the convenience channel and essential convenience store workers. Our national partnership with CICC has raised a total of over $255,000 in just two years, which directly supports our mission to grant life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses.

“The Convenience Industry Council of Canada is proud to once again partner with Make-A-Wish Canada for National Convenience Week” says Anne P. Kothawala, President & CEO, CICC. “Our members are committed to meeting the everyday needs of families and giving back to the communities they serve.  Our partnership with Make-A-Wish® helps us take that commitment even further, and we are honored to be working together to help grant wishes for children with critical illnesses.”

This year, we’ve all had a glimpse of what it feels like to wait for hope. For the children and families we serve, finding hope in challenging circumstances is something they have been doing long before any of us heard the word “lockdown.” But hope isn’t something that happens to us, it’s something we can create.

“Make-A-Wish is incredibly proud of our important partnership with CICC. To have an entire, essential industry across Canada supporting our mission and helping us raise critical funds to grant wishes sends a special message about their strong belief in the life-changing work we do,” says Lynne Hudson, CEO, Make-A-Wish Canada. “Thousands of wishes have been delayed by the global pandemic, but with the support of amazing national partners like CICC, we can continue transforming lives – and creating hope – one wish at a time! We are grateful for CCIC and their generous retailer leadership, commitment and investment.”

This year’s Wish Kid Ambassador is Olivia. Olivia was diagnosed with cancer when she was just three years old. She underwent surgery to remove her right ovary and underwent an intense chemotherapy protocol. Olivia is still deciding what her most heartfelt wish will be but when asked about what a wish means to her, she said, “to me, a wish means that I have the opportunity to have my greatest dream come true. It also creates amazing memories that my family and I can hold onto forever! Especially after being so sick, it gives us something to cherish and remember for the rest of our lives!” To learn more about National Convenience Week, please visit https://makeawish.ca/ncw2021/