While we’ve often highlighted the efforts of our volunteers, today we want to do something a little different — we want to share the great work a couple of Hacking for the Holidays (new window) supporters are doing to raise funds to ensure kids with disabilities get the adapted toys they need to play independently.

Cameron David, a personal trainer in the Lower Mainland (pictured on the right running), and his friend, a handyman also named Cameron (pictured on the left with his son), have started their own Hacking for the Holidays fundraising page (new window) and pledged to run a kilometre each for every $50 raised, with the goal of raising $2,000 and running 40 km.

When Cameron David learned about our Hacking for the Holidays campaign and the impact it has on children with disabilities, the cause hit close to home.

“I’ve been working with kids with disabilities for quite a long time, I was a behavioral interventionist,” he shares. “Hearing about how something as simple as the spark of joy that a child gets from triggering a toy bear saying ‘I love you’ is not accessible to some children, it wasn’t something I considered before. I want to play a role in making that happen for kids.

“It’s so simple, and at the same time, so meaningful to provide that to a child.”

And as a personal trainer, pledging to run was a great way to raise money and spread awareness in his network.

“I love to run and it’s a way that I can express myself and become a stronger version of myself. And this notion of creating win-win situations, I thought to myself, ‘Well, I’ve been doing all of these fundraisers for other charities, why don’t I do it for a charity that is closer to home?’” he says. “To actually know that someone in the local community benefits is really impactful.”

Cameron David says the running challenge also emphasizes that it doesn’t have to be “all or nothing,” just contributing something can make a big difference — handyman Cam will be balancing the running and raising money while raising a young family.

“It comes back to that creating win-win situations so that the world is a better place, and our actions are inspiring others.”

So far, the two Camerons have raised nearly $1,400 — 28 km each — from their contacts, making a huge difference in our goal to raise $200,000. We’re blown away by their support of our campaign.

Want to help us raise funds for Hacking for the Holidays? Anyone can set up their own fundraising page on our Hacking for the Holidays Causevox (new window) donation page. Near the top of our donation page, you’ll see three buttons up top — if you click on “Raise Funds (new window),” it’ll allow you to create your own personal fundraising page (or a team page if you’re doing this with your organization). Once you create an account, you’ll fill in the details, choose a fundraising goal (what will be ambitious enough to feel like a stretch, but reasonable enough that you can meet it?), and voila, you have your very own page you can share with your network.

This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change(new window) website.