Last night’s special screening hosted by CHEO Foundation featured all the usual pomp and popcorn you’d expect from a family-friendly big-screen premiere.

There were purple carpet arrivals — a nod to CHEO’s official colour — free snacks galore and a welcome by the CHEO Bear mascot, dressed in black tie. The event, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP, marked the unveiling of CHEO’s latest national marketing campaign, Kids These Days, which is designed to raise public support for the pediatric centre’s largest-ever investment in children’s healthcare over the next decade.

The marketing campaign, which enjoyed its first launch last summer, includes TV and radio spots, billboard and bus shelter ads, digital advertising, and social media content. It features CHEO kids only; no paid child actors. All the young people who’ve participated in the campaign were invited to the premiere with their families.

The first round of the campaign has proven successful in boosting financial support from outlying geographic areas “in numbers and amounts never before seen,” said CHEO Foundation president and CEO Steve Read. In the months following the initial campaign launch, donations from across Canada, the U.S. and even Europe increased by 70 percent, he said.

“So, the Kids These Days Campaign is a lot more than just raising awareness; it’s inspiring a whole new group of donors to step up and support the health needs of today’s children and youth.”

The CHEO Foundation is nearing the half-way mark of the $220 million it needs to raise toward the pediatric centre’s redevelopment plan, said Read. “We’re ahead of schedule.”

The Kids These Days ads will air during the NHL playoffs and other major sporting events, as well as during prime-time TV shows and news programs, Read added. “Wherever our research tells us our major donors are tuning in.”

Steve Read, president and CEO of CHEO Foundation, and Katrina Bussey, vice president of strategy and communications at CHEO Foundation, at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips
 

Dr. Vera Etches, right, and CHEO Foundation’s Katie Graham, director of individual philanthropy and engagement, at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

In attendance was CHEO’s new president and CEO, Dr. Vera Etches, who acknowledged that the 51-year-old pediatric centre is in need of its own “tender loving care”.

From the CHEO Foundation board were vice-chair Charles-Antoine Rozon, an associate advisor with RBC Wealth Management; and new foundation board member Daniel Thiruganaratnapathy, vice president of mid-market commercial at RBC Royal Bank.

From the campaign cabinet, which is made up of local business and community leaders, was Mark LeBlanc, president of Tiree, an Ottawa-based consulting and professional services firm specializing in real property and infrastructure.

Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice was represented by its CEO, Megan Wright, and a couple of her board members, including chair Michelle Bouchard, partner at accounting firm Hendry Warren LLP, and past chair Ian Hendry, a founding partner at Hendry Warren LLP.

CHEO Foundation board member Daniel Thiruganaratnapathy, vice president of mid-market commercial at RBC Royal Bank, and board vice chair Charles-Antoine Rozon, an associate advisor with RBC Wealth Management, at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Mark LeBlanc, president of Tiree and campaign cabinet member, and Emily Jamieson,  vice president of corporate philanthropy and community engagement with CHEO Foundation, at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Dr. Vera Etches, president and CEO of CHEO — the pediatric health centre of Canada’s capital — and the CHEO Bear mascot at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

From left, Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice board chair Michelle Bouchard, a partner at accounting firm Hendry Warren, Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice  CEO Megan Wright, and Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice past board chair Ian Hendry at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The phrase ‘kids these days’ often carries a negative connotation, associated with older adults grumbling about the younger generation. The campaign has turned that notion on its head.

Said Read: “Our campaign flips the script to reveal a hard truth: kids these days are facing more health issues, more complex care needs, rising mental health issues, longer waits for emergency care, and an increased need for more life-saving surgeries. They need our help more than ever.”

CHEO will be expanding its programs, services, teams, and physical space. “We know kids need more from us,” said Read.

The premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP, invited CHEO kids and their families. Photo by Caroline Phillips

It was a near full house at the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

Guests were invited to help themselves to popcorn for the premiere of the CHEO ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP, invited CHEO kids and their families. Photo by Caroline Phillips

CHEO volunteer Alaina Hyder helped to make sure the CHEO Bear mascot remained presentable while he was on the purple carpet, welcoming CHEO children and their families to the premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP on Monday, May 12, 2025. Photo by Caroline Phillips

The premiere of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP, invited CHEO kids and their families. Photo by Caroline Phillips

These young guests give their dresses a twirl while posing with the CHEO Bear mascot for a special screening of CHEO’s ‘Kids These Days’ marketing campaign, held at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne and VIP. Photo by Caroline Phillips

This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel and RBC.

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