Fundraiser in honour of young girl raises $66K for Ottawa's children's hospital

Pat Trimm (right) and Cheryl Smith (centre right) handing a cheque of $66,500 to CHEO staff in honour of Kendyl Smith-Trimm. (Brad Quinn/CTV News Ottawa)

The family of Kendyl Smith-Trimm, a young girl who bravely battled cancer, has raised a staggering $66,500 in her memory for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

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On Sunday, her mother Cheryl Smith and father Pat Trimm from Pembroke, Ont. awarded the hospital with a cheque in honour of Kendyl, who they described as "loving" and "caring."

"Kendyl was a gift from God to us," Smith said in an interview.

"She loved to have fun and loved to play tricks with us and she was such an amazing little person. She was very selfless for all the things she had to go through in such a short time. She was just always concerned about other people."

On Aug. 14, 2023, Kendyl tragically died after a courageous and fierce battle with Osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer, at the age of 8.

Sunday would have been her tenth birthday.

"Today is a very special day to give this cheque to CHEO in honour of Kendyl. Today is her tenth birthday and she would be very happy and very proud to know that we are presenting this cheque to help the other children today on her birthday," Cheryl said.

Her parents say they were inspired to start the fundraiser from Kendyl herself, who always had a deep sense of compassion for other sick children while struggling with her own illness.

Smith recalls one conversation with Kendyl during a trip to CHEO when she explained her biggest dream.

Kendyl Smith-Trimm. (Obituary)

"Momma when I grow up I want to open up a toy store and you and daddy will work for me for free. Everything I make from selling the toys is going to go back to CHEO because you know momma, those kids need the money to get better.”

It's with that inspiration that her parents started the Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids Endowment Fund to help raise essential funds to support families and children battling cancer and other illnesses.

The first annual Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids CHEO Fundraiser was held on Sept. 14 in Pontiac, Que., where hundreds gathered to raise money for the fund, celebrate Kendyl's legacy and make a positive impact.

"So here we are today presenting this cheque to the CHEO Foundation because of Kendyl's kindness and her inspiration," Smith said.

Smith and Trimm say they are grateful for the support they received from people all over the Ottawa Valley.

"We can't express our gratitude to the community for their support. Businesses big and small - We never expected the turnout we did. It's a very close-knit community," Pat said.

"We come from a small community with an amazingly big heart. We cannot thank our family, our friends, our community at large enough," Cheryl said.

The young girl came under the care of Pat and Cheryl in February 2020 after the tragic passing of Kendyl's biological mother when she was only 5-years-old. Cheryl is the cousin of Kendyl's biological mother.

Cheryl recalled the "respectful" and compassionate care her family received from CHEO staff while the family was forced to make difficult decisions about Kendyl's pediatric care.

"We can't say enough about CHEO – about the care that we received here," she said.

"CHEO always looked after our entire family. They were very respectful, they explained everything to us, gave us our options. They gave us the time we needed to make some very big decisions in Kendyl's care."

Megan Doyle Ray, the CHEO Foundation's director of estates and legacy guidance, said the money will go into an endowment fund that will preserve the funds in perpetuity for CHEO patients and families.

"It will not only help kids today but continue to help kids for generations to come and that's Kendyl's lasting mark. She's definitely left a lasting mark on Cheryl, Pat, the entire family and the community up the Valley, and she's also left a mark on CHEO patients and families," she said.

Donors can continue to give to Kendyl's fund by visiting the CHEO Foundation’s website.

"Hit the donate button and you can make a note that this donation is in honour of Kendal and the donation will be directed to the fund," Doyle Ray said.

Pat and Cheryl say the second annual Kendyl Smith-Trimm Caring for Kids CHEO Fundraiser will be held on Sept. 13, 2025. 

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Austin Lee