Meet Lincoln: the community fundraiser extraordinaire!

Lincoln is a grade nine student at Upper Canada College who has proudly been fundraising for Holland Bloorview since he was in grade six. “I heard about all the great work that was done for so many clients and the great research. Being someone who is extremely interested in service and helping others and family services generally, I wanted to get involved.”

Lincoln first learned about Holland Bloorview through his friend Gabriel, who’s a client of Holland Bloorview. Lincoln got involved with Capes for Kids, the foundation’s annual fundraiser where people fundraise and wear capes to raise awareness about children with disability. 

In order to receive their cape, participants must raise $100 and that’s when Lincoln got creative. Rather than just asking folks to support him, Lincoln created Cooking for Kids. 

Cooking for Kids started in 2021. At first, it was a virtual cooking class where folks could pay $5 to cook with Lincoln online. “We were expecting to have a few people, maybe raise $100. However because it was the pandemic and a time where everyone was trapped in their house, and no one got to socialize, a lot of people were very eager to come out, chat, and learn a quick recipe. I think we raised four figures from that [first] event alone, which was astounding!”

 “It started out as a small operation in my kitchen, but it very quickly picked up and as such we were able to partner with Longo’s and use their demonstration kitchen which really elevated the experience,” explains Lincoln.  “For me it goes to show exactly how powerful people can be when they come together for a great cause. We built this from the ground! It was just a spectacular experience.”

Lincoln notes that it’s not just about raising money, but spreading awareness too. “I wanted Cooking for Kids to play a role in de-stigmatizing disability. The people within my circle who would never have given much thought to disability are now concerned about the issues that kids with disability face.”

“You don’t need to be someone of any particular aptitude or talent to make a real impact,” shares Lincoln. “Fundraising can be a great combination of something which makes a real difference to others but also actually provides some fun to the people who are doing it. So I would encourage basically everyone to work on fundraising for a cause that they are interested in supporting.”

In its first two years, Cooking for Kids raised $10,000 for Holland Bloorview. Lincoln and his supporters prove that there is proof in the pudding when it comes to community fundraising. 

If you’re looking to activate your community and raise money and awareness for kids with disabilities, register for Capes for Kids today!