Our objective is to match the children in greatest need with the resources of our caring community. Local corporations and individuals support Send'em Off Smiling with financial donations or by offering to sponsor a child, a family, or a specified number of children.

We rely on teachers to help us identify the children in need of our help in each school. Parents have an opportunity to participate by filling in a "Child Form" with the necessary information about their child's size and style preferences. These forms are sent back to Send'em Off Smiling. We carefully guard the identity of all paticipating families.

Individuals and companies who have committed to sponsoring children are sent the Child Form with any identifying information removed, so that they can shop for the necessary items and return the filled backpacks to Send ‘em Off Smiling before a designated date. We are privileged to have TD Canada Trust as a Shop and Drop Centre through the month of July.  Sponsors can drop their filled backpack off at any Canada Trust location in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.  Please visit the TD branch locator to find the branch closest to you.

Volunteers check and then deliver the completed backpacks to the children. This is the busiest and most gratifying stage in our SOS season!