Stollery Champ Elijah visits Yellowknife
The land of the midnight sun became just a little brighter in April when Stollery kid Elijah visited Yellowknife, N.W.T. to kick off his second year as our Children’s Miracle Network Champion.
As the returning Stollery Champ, Elijah will continue his role as a patient ambassador, representing Stollery kids from across Western Canada by speaking at Walmart and The Brick locations throughout northern Alberta.
This trip took Elijah a bit farther north to Yellowknife, N.W.T. In 2022 alone, the Stollery saw 293 patient visits from Yellowknife.
Elijah and his family visited the Walmart in Yellowknife where the store’s staff and customers warmly welcomed them. Elijah showed incredible growth since his first Champion term, as he shared his Stollery story and the importance of our world-class Hospital.
After the in-store event, he was treated to a traditional Indigenous meal – including caribou stew, dried salmon, smoked salmon and bannock – courtesy of Larga Kitikmeot. Larga is a local organization that supports residents of the Kitikmeot region on Nunavut who travel to Yellowknife for health care that’s not available at home. Members of the organization were so moved by Elijah’s story that they donated $10,000 to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
As many as 37 per cent of Stollery patients come from outside of the Edmonton area, including many from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and across the three territories.
Elijah also received a gift – a $500 gift card to Walmart, which he donated to the Yellowknife Women’s Society.
Thank you to Walmart Yellowknife for hosting such an inspiring event, and to Walmart Canada and the Children’s Miracle Network Canada for your commitment to helping kids in our backyard. Elijah made so many amazing new friends and heard so many inspirational stories; this was a trip that he won’t soon forget.
Elijah will once again be visiting Walmart and The Brick locations across northern Alberta throughout the year, representing Stollery kids near and far. Watch for him in your area and on our social media channels!
More in the news from Elijah’s Yellowknife visit:
