In lieu of gifts

Giving the gift of hope: Everything you need to know about asking for donations in lieu of gifts

Thank you for your interest in making ALS Canada a part of your special day!

Marking a special occasion by donating to ALS Canada is a wonderful way to honour a loved one with ALS, make a difference, and/or give back. We at ALS Canada are privileged to work alongside and support such a passionate community of people united to make ALS a treatable, not terminal disease. See below to find out how Melissa, Michael and Niko have chosen to honour their loved ones by donating to ALS Canada in lieu of gifts.

Melissa and Michael Petrillo
For their wedding this July, Melissa and Michael decided to forego party favours in honour of Melissa’s late aunt, Ada Rosa Orlando. Ada passed away from ALS at the age of 66 in November 2016 and therefore could not attend her niece’s wedding. Melissa and Michael chose to donate to ALS Canada on behalf of each guest, in the hopes of helping someone living with ALS in the future. In total, $700 was donated to ALS Canada in memory of Ada Rosa Orlando.

Melissa and Michael Petrillo

Melissa and Michael honoured Melissa's late aunt, Ada Rosa Orlando, at their summer wedding.

Read Melissa and Michael's story

Niko Kremmydiotis
This year, instead of asking for birthday gifts, eight year-old Niko asked his parents to help him raise money for ALS Canada in memory of his grandmother, Yiayia Asimina, who passed away from ALS before Niko was born. His goal was to raise $300 – with the help of family, friends, teachers, classmates, school staff, parents and kind strangers, he has currently raised approximately $1,800 for ALS Canada. He has now increased his goal to $2,000, and is collecting donations online and selling bookmarks at community events.

Niko Kremmydiotis

Eight year-old Niko asked for donations instead of birthday gifts.

Read Niko's story

How to set up your own donation page:

  • Go to www.als.ca/myALSfundraiser
  • From the available tabs, select Login/Register
  • Once you have created an account and/or logged in, navigate to the Fundraising tab on the left-hand side of the page
  • Your personal page link is listed under Personal Page
  • Copy and paste your link and share it with friends/family/social media
  • When someone clicks on the link, they will be directed to your personal page where they can sponsor you with donations

How ALS Canada can help:

The ALS Canada staff team is here to help you with your event. If you have questions or need some guidance to get started, please contact teamals@als.ca.

Examples of occasions to ask for donations in lieu of gifts

Wedding, Engagement, Anniversary, Wedding Shower, Graduation, Birthday, Retirement, Baby Shower, Religious Ceremony

Create your fundraising event here