FAQ

Thank you for visiting our FAQ page. Click the headers below to be brought to the sections below.

Participation

Logging my activity

Fundraising

Past Participants

 


 

Participation

Are there any age restrictions to participating in the Make-A-Wish Trailblaze for Wishes?

Participants of all ages are encouraged to register and raise the suggested minimum of $500. However, there is no penalty for not reaching this goal. Every dollar counts!

Is there a fee to participate?

There is no registration fee. Each trailblazer will be asked to raise a minimum amount of $500. You are under no financial obligation to meet this goal. The final day that donations will be accepted is August 2, 2022. 

*Note: All monies raised are NON REFUNDABLE. If you withdraw from the event, any funds that have come in will be considered a general event donation.

How to register for 2022?

Registration is now open! You can register at any point during the challenge, up until June 24, 2022! Click here to register! 

How can I access my registration and fundraising page?

Log into your dashboard, by going to the home page of the event website and at the top right of the page there is a log in button with a lock symbol. 

Can this be a team event?

Of course! You have the option to register as an individual or team when you sign up. If you sign up as a team you will either be the ‘Team Captain’ or ‘Team Member’. Your team can be made up of friends, family and co-workers, and there is no limit to the amount of team members. The more the merrier! And a bonus high-five for fun team names!

Is there a limit on the number of team members?

There is no limit on the number of participants in a team. You can register as many participants as you would like. We still suggest that the individual amount to raise is $500.

Can I see other participants who are taking part?

Yes! We know that during these times, coming together as a community is more important than ever which is why we have created a private Facebook group for all Trailblaze for Wishes participants. This is a private space to share your local trails, ask advice and cheer each other on. You will be sent the private link upon sign up.


Logging my activity

How do I log my kilometers?

Logging your kilometers is easy and can be done within your fundraising page. Check out our helpful guide on our How To Track Your Kilometers.


When must my kilometers be tracked by?

Trailblaze for Wishes participants must reach their total kilometer challenge by the end of the event on June 25, 2022. You can blaze your own trail for your chosen challenge - 50 KM, 100 KM, 200 KM - over however many activity sessions/days as you would like. It can be at your own preferred time and pace, while practicing current social distancing and safety guidelines that are in place.

On the hiking trail or in your local community there are many ways to reach your challenge over the total 8 weeks. For example by completing: 6.25 KM each week or 0.8 KM each day.
 

Do I have to do my activity on a specific date?

No! You can choose any day or time between April 27 - June 25, 2022.

 

Is there a specific route I need to follow or an activity to do?

This is YOUR experience! You can blaze your own trail in your own preferred place. You can create a fun route, determine pit stops for water breaks, and tell your neighbours so they can cheer you on from their front yards! For ideas, consult our suggested trails under the menu tab "ABOUT EVENT" on your local page. Please practice physical distancing guidelines set by your national, provincial, municipal and international public health and government organizations.

Not really a hiker or walker? Have a specific activity you'd prefer to do? Not sure how to calculate it in kilometers? We have so many great alternatives that can help you reach your goal. Check out our "Activity Conversion Tracker" for some great ideas!


Fundraising

Why is fundraising so important right now?

Make-A-Wish Canada’s goal is to bring every eligible child's wish to life. Challenges related to COVID-19 persisted through last year, including the cancellation of many in-person activities, leaving thousands of wishes still waiting to be granted. Make-A-Wish continues to work tirelessly to deliver wishes for children within the limits of COVID-19 and address the significant backlog of wishes resulting from the pandemic. But we need your help. 

By joining the Trailblaze for Wishes team today, you will join in our efforts of raising $625,000 to ensure no child must wait for their wish.

How will I track the money I raise?

When registration begins in March you will be given a personalized fundraising page. You can personalize this page and send the link out to friends and family to be able to donate to you. This will be a running total of your total donations raised and you can see it in real time, and thank your generous supporters. Tax receipts will be e-mailed automatically. We've set up a guide on our menu tab called "PERSONALIZING YOUR PAGE", to help you with the steps and ideas.

How long do I have to raise the funds?

You can raise funds from the moment you sign up, right through the challenge and up until August 2, 2022. Your challenge dates will be from April 27 - June 25, 2022, but we know your loved ones may want to continue to support you once they see how far you have managed to blaze your own trail!

*Note: All monies raised are NON-REFUNDABLE. Any funds that have come in will be considered a general donation.
 

Will donations get a tax receipt?

All donations made online will automatically get a tax receipt via email. Donations of more than $20 received via mail (by cheque) will also be issued tax receipts if full contact information and an address are provided. 

If your donor does not receive a receipt in their inbox within a few minutes of sending your donation, please ask them to check their Junk (hotmail users), Spam (gmail users) or Bulk (yahoo users) email folder just in case the receipt email got delivered there instead of their inbox. If so, select the message and click ‘Not Junk’, to allow future messages to get through.
 

A supporter has given me a cheque or cash! Can I send this to you?

Yes, cheques and cash can be mailed to the national office. In order for the donor to receive a tax receipt (applicable to donations over $20), in the donor’s envelope with the cheque/cash please ask the donor to fill in a donation form. You can find the donation form or our pledge form under the 'RESOURCES' menu tab. 

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 situation has significantly affected our office working environment.  Please refrain from making in-person visits to the office to drop off cash. 

The address to mail cheque/cash into is: Make-A-Wish Canada, 350 - 1101 Kingston Road, Pickering, ON, L1V 1B5
+ MUST INCLUDE A DONATION FORM FILLED IN!

Download your provincial donation form here: 

BRITISH COLUMBIA & YUKONALBERTASASKATCHEWANMANITOBAONTARIOQUEBEC & NATIONAL CAPITALNEW BRUNSWICKPRINCE EDWARD ISLANDNOVA SCOTIA

 

I have a donor who is willing to call in a credit card donation. Can they call the office? 

The single BEST way to make a donation is online via a personal fundraising page (donors will instantly be issued an electronic tax receipt).

Your donor can also call the national office, at 1-888-822-9474.

 

Instead of sending cash, can I write a cheque or make the donation online for the donor?
(Can I make a donation on behalf of my donor online?)

You can always keep the cash and write us a cheque in place of a cash delivery (see instructions for cheque mailing above).

Please refrain from keeping a donor’s cash and making a credit card donation on their behalf.

As per Canada Revenue Agency guidelines, The charity must issue a receipt in the name of the true donor(s) of the gift. To submit a credit card donation on someone’s behalf puts you in violation of  this rule, as a receipt would be issued to YOU, and NOT your donor. You can call our national office to make the credit card payment over the phone with us, to avoid this situation. You can contact the national office at 1-888-822-9474.

Where does the money go?

Funds raised through Trailblaze for Wishes will go towards supporting children with critical illnesses by bringing their wishes to life. We currently have children waiting for their wishes due to COVID-19. Your support will ensure we remain prepared during this unprecedented time to achieve our mission of granting life-changing wishes for every eligible child when it is safe to do so.

 

I do not feel comfortable fundraising considering everything that is happening with COVID-19, how can you help?

Our team is on hand to help you fundraise during these challenging times and offer alternative ways to meet your personal fundraising goal.

We understand and appreciate that this is an unsettling environment. If you feel comfortable fundraising and sharing the Make-A-Wish vision to grant the wish of every eligible child in Canada to please do so. Most importantly, we support you in doing only what you feel comfortable with.

We will be sending out top tips to reach your loved ones to share your fundraising goal in the coming weeks and you can visit our fundraising ideas page under on the menu tab "PARTICIPANT CENTER''.


Past Participants

Can I use the same account as last year to register?

100%! Please use the same email address to log into your account. By doing this,  you can see your stats from last year and also if see the contacts you may have uploaded so you can solicite them for donations again this year. You can find guidelines on how to sign back ito your account on our "HOW TO REGISTER" tab. Don't forget to share some wish stories with them. Find them under the "WISH KIDS" tab.

Thank you to our National Sponsors

HOPE TRAIL

DonorDrive

JOY TRAIL

Sony Canada Charitable Foundation

PRIZE SPONSOR

WestJet