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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, February 5, 2014 | 8 Luke inspired others and Luke's Legacy helps others by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff It's the simple act of decorating a cookie, but to children who are ill, it has translated into more than $80,000 donated to the hospital that cares for them. The annual Sweethearts for SickKids fundraiser by Luke's Legacy has raised $82,500, since its inception in 2009, for the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) -- its sixth rendition is Sunday (Feb. 9). Luke Holmes would have celebrated his eighth birthday Friday (Feb. 7) had his heart not lost a battle against congenital heart disease in 2007. His parents, Carolyn and Troy, set up the Luke's Legacy Sweethearts for SickKids fundraiser in memory of their son and to help other families from going through what they did. The Oakville couple has three sons, Zak, 11, Max, 10, and Jackson, 4. "There are so many times I know he (Luke) is still with us," said Carolyn. "The other day I was walking Jackson home from school -- he was born two years after Luke died -- and he suddenly stops, looks at me and says, `Mommy, do you still miss Lukie?' I told him, `yes, every day.' He then smiled at me and gave me a hug. It was so random. It was almost like I got a hug from Luke that day. "We know Luke is still with us, and we all miss him. As a family, we talk about him all the time. We never forget." According to SickKids, one in 100 children are born with a heart defect, and more than half require surgery -- Luke was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome/Critical Aortic Stenosis, which meant the entire left side of his heart was underdeveloped, including the left (pumping) ventricle and aortic and mitral valves. "We do it (Sweethearts for SickKids) every year to honour our son and hopefully continue to help other children who have congenital heart defects. We want to raise money for the hospital and help other families who are going through the same thing. It's our way of remembering and honouring Luke," Carolyn said. This year's fundraiser will be at a new location at Longo's Market, 469 Cornwall Rd., from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Participants can buy a heart-shaped, nut-free sugar cookie for $5 to decorate with icing and candy. The first 25 families will receive loot bags. The event will also showcase several celebrity-decorated, 10inch cookies for silent auction, including those from Ben Mul- | submitted photo | submitted photo Nathan McLeod of Life with Boys, left, shows off his decorated cookie for the sixth annual Sweethearts for SickKids fundraiser by Luke's Legacy. At right, Bianka Kamber and Brad Smith, now married, from The Bachelor Canada, with their cookie. All three will be on hand at the Sunday's fundraiser. roney, Cheryl Hickey, Michael `Pinball' Clemons, Bryan Baeumler, Susan Hay, Mike Bullard, Shaquan Lewis, and Brad Smith and Bianka Kamber from TV's The Bachelor Canada. Local celebrity Nathan McLeod of YTV's Life with Boys and founder of local acting and training studio Innovative Arts will also have a decorated cookie for auction. He will be on hand at Sunday's fundraiser, along with Smith and Kamber. McLeod says one of the reasons he continues to support Luke's Legacy is "because of the amazing fundraising it does for SickKids." "But to continually be inspired by the impact this one little brave boy has made -- he's a true example for the rest of us," he added. Organizers are hoping to surpass the $15,000 fundraising mark at this year's event. All proceeds go to SickKids' Cardiac Critical Care Unit where Luke underwent open-heart surgery before his first birthday. For more information, visit www.lukeslegacy.ca. Bonspiel welcomes novice curlers and helps develop mentors Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton (BBBSH) is challenging residents to pick up a broom for the 2014 RBC Curl for Kids Sake Bonspiel. The 26th annual bonspiel is set for Saturday, Feb. 22. It is being co-hosted by BBBSH and the Oakville Curling Club at 224 Allan St. and sponsored by RBC Royal Bank. "While bonspiels are common, this is one of the few that targets beginners and those that really want to give one of Canada's most popular winter sports a try," Barbara Ferrone, BBBSH executive director, said in a news release. "This event provides us funding so we can continue finding mentors for children to set them on the path to life-long success. We rely heavily on events such as our bonspiel and from sponsorship and community support, to provide sustainable revenue for our mentoring programs." BBBSH's mentoring programs reach more than 1,100 children in the community. Organizers hope to raise $40,000 this year. Teams of four can register for either a 9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. draw and must raise, through pledges or company sponsorship, a minimum entry of $500 per team. Limited spots are still available for teams to register at www.bbbshalton.ca or by calling 905-339-2355. Each team will receive instruction, breakfast and lunch, and a chance to win prizes. Registration starts at 8 a.m. on the day. For more information, email events@bbbshalton.ca. www.oakville.ca Public Information Meeting Bronte Athletic Park and Donovan Bailey Park Preferred Concept Revealed Wednesday, February 12, 2014 6:30 ­ 8:30 p.m. (presentation at 6:30 p.m.) Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre 2302 Bridge Road ­ (Multi-Purpose Room #1) You're invited to review the recommended concept for Bronte Athletic Park and Donovan Bailey Park. At our previous public meetings, we offered residents the opportunity to review design concepts and provide feedback on potential improvements to Bronte Athletic Park and Donovan Bailey Park. Based on your collective input and comments received, we have developed a preferred park concept that we are excited to share with you! Want to learn more? Come out to this public information meeting for a chance to review and provide feedback on the preferred park concept. Presentation materials will be posted on oakville.ca following the meeting. For more information visit oakville.ca, contact ServiceOakville at 905-845-6601, email serviceoakville@oakville.ca, or fax 905-815-2025.