If you’re looking to brighten your home or give someone a nice gift while supporting a good cause, look no further than your commute on the Toronto subway this week.
Epilepsy Ontario and Epilepsy York Region are collaborating on a fundraising initiative until Aug. 30 to raise money for their organizations while educating the public about seizure disorders by selling flowers at Kipling and Finch subway stations, respectively.
The initiative is part of Epilepsy York Region’s Glad Days for Epilepsy campaign, which is held every August.
From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., representatives from the agencies are selling gladioli — commonly called “glads” — and sunflowers, with the goal of raising $5,000.
Several Ontario epilepsy agencies sell flowers throughout August to raise money and awareness.
As part of Glad Days for Epilepsy, Epilepsy York Region sells gladiolas at several locations in Greater Toronto. The flowers are provided to the agencies by a local grower who sold them at a discount.
Jeanette Schepp, Epilepsy Ontario’s resource development co-ordinator, says the agencies chose to sell the flowers at the subway stations because they “want to reach as many people as possible.” More than one million people ride Toronto’s subway every day.
“Raising awareness is always the best outcome we can look for, but raising funds (is important) because we continuously need to reach out to the population so there is a better awareness of epilepsy,” Schepp says.
“We’re selling the flowers, but we’re also sharing information about what epilepsy is and about first-aid seizure control and other information. . . . It’s a great opportunity to connect with people.”
Schepp says the success of the recent ScotiaBank BuskerFest is giving her a strong sense of hope for outstanding support for the gladioli initiative. BuskerFest is the world’s largest epilepsy awareness event and the world’s largest street performer festival. Held on Yonge Street Aug. 22-25, the annual event is organized by Epilepsy Toronto and proceeds support the agency.
While selling the flowers, representatives from the agencies will have printed material on hand to share with commuters and they will explain the importance of the public’s support.
“Hopefully, we will get some people who have had exposure to understanding what epilepsy is — and for those who don’t, we’re going to make sure they understand what epilepsy is,” Schepp says.
Writer: Deron Hamel
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