K2K is pleased to announce that our next Music and Fashion Fundraising event
“Kids T.O. Kids – Making Life Beautiful”*
will take place at Toronto Grand Banquet and Event Centre on Sunday, 11 June 2023.
K2K is a registered not-for-profit organization, 100% run by unpaid volunteers. Our members are young professional artists and performers of Toronto, aged 4-18, who are passionate about giving back to the community.
In the summer of 2019, we hosted our first “Runway of Hope” where we celebrated the Canada Day weekend with fashion and music. We were able to raise enough funds to build 3 playgrounds with Million Dollar Smiles (MDS). MDS is a not-for-profit organization that builds playgrounds in the backyard of families whose children are facing special needs or the diagnosis of a serious illness. These children have lower immunity and higher health risks, and are not able to go out and simply enjoy public playgrounds.
Just like our Runway of Hope event in 2019, all proceeds from this year’s event will go towards the playground builds. To date, MDS has built more than 500 playgrounds in Ontario. We hope that, with your support and generosity, K2K will be able to raise funds for more playgrounds this year.
More than 60 young models will be walking down the runway, dressed by local designers and boutiques who also love giving back to the community. The host, the young performers and entertainers, the runway coaches, the photographer and videographer teams, the hair and makeup artists, as well as the K2K families all donate their time, expertise, and talent to bring this event to life.
We hope you will join us at the event, celebrating our youth and their charitable hearts, while enjoying a delectable 4-course meal prepared and served by the Toronto Grand Banquet and Event Centre team.
*National Making Life Beautiful Day on June 11th dedicates a celebration to those who make life beautiful. Whether you’re creating beauty by building relationships or helping others achieve personal success, your actions create a ripple effect, making life beautiful not just for yourself, but for those around you, too.
Show Highlights
This year’s event will be hosted by the incredible Marny Florence (https://www.marnyflorence.com), who is one of Toronto’s most vibrant personalities known around the city for her infectious energy and exciting dance moves. We are very grateful to Marny for donating her time to help bring life to our event.
Our performers and entertainers include Julia Middleton (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBslzEv4Ag52XFdERZ7ym7w) who as a tween wrote “Castle In The Air” for MDS, and performed live at our fundraising event, an organetto prodigy Bruno Monardo (https://instagram.com/bruno_monardo), classical singer Lucas Kalechstein (https://instagram.com/kalechstein_lucas_sings), and ‘electrifying’ electric guitarist Pierre Drivas (https://instagram.com/pierre_on_set).
Special Guests 2023
Liam Wilson was born on Valentine’s Day 2015. At the age of 3 weeks old, he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). He has been in treatment all his life, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that he was successfully referred to SickKids Hospital.
In December 2021, Liam caught a cold and was admitted to SickKids for two weeks of IV antibiotics. He had lost about 25% of lung function and dropped 3lbs. Because he lost so much function in his lungs, he was fast-tracked for a recently approved drug called Trikafta, a transformational drug that does not just treat symptoms but targets the basic defect from specific genetic mutations that cause CF.
Liam might be small, but he has a big heart. He loves to give back to others and to SickKids Hospital. He has been featured in a variety of news articles recognizing not only his generosity, but also his published book. When Liam was just 4 years old, with help, he wrote a book inspired by his life called “Liam Strong as a Tree.” The book depicts a young boy and his journey attending his first year of school while battling Cystic Fibrosis. His second book, “Liam’s Hospital Stay”, is set to release in May 2023.
Liam’s achievements do not end there. In July 2022, Liam and his mom hosted a successful event to fundraise for SickKids, with K2K members on site to support. He also is working closely with the John Tavares Foundation. This past December, he was able to donate over 200 stockings to the young patients at SickKids. He has raised $20,000 over the years.
Liam is 8 years old, and is currently in Grade 2. He loves playing with his friends and spending time with his family, swimming at his uncle’s, playing with his dog Chloee, playing video games, and playing hockey (his favourite player is Auston Matthews).
Liam’s goal is to see his name up on the “SickKids Wall”. His favourite quote is “Never Give Up. Keep reaching for the stars.” To support him, please visit Liam’s Mission
You can Donate here
We thank you very much for your generosity.