TORONTO — As they gazed at the babies in Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Amanda, Samantha and Jake Wolfe truly understood the impact of their tzedakah.
From left, Jake, Beverley, Amanda, Michael and Samantha Wolfe
“When we were in the NICU, we got such great care,” Amanda said.
“So we really wanted to give back, to make sure other babies get the same care that we got.”
As part of celebrating their bar and bat mitzvahs, the triplets decided to ask their guests to donate money for renovations and upgrades to the same nursery that they themselves had spent time in 13 years ago.
Originally aiming to raise $5,000, the trio managed to garner an exceptional $30,000. The funds are being used to pay for 32 bassinets in the new NICU.
“We were amazed by how much we raised,” said Amanda, who like her siblings, is a Grade 8 student at Windfields Junior High School in Toronto.
As impressive as the trio’s donation is, their own birth story at Sunnybrook was also quite a gift for everyone involved.
When Beverley Wolfe went into labour five months into her pregnancy, doctors and nurses did everything they could to delay her delivery so that the babies could develop as fully as possible.
Beverley would spend the next 12 weeks resting in bed at the hospital, and the triplets were born on Dec. 28, 1994.
“Even the doctors and nurses said it was amazing that we were able to hold off on delivering for so long,” Beverley said.
Beverley and her husband, Michael, first talked with the kids about the idea of making tzedakah part of their bar and bat mitzvahs while they were planning the affair.
“We brought up the idea of giving some part of their gifts to charity,” Michael said.
“The timing was such that Sunnybrook needed equipment for the new NICU, and when the kids learned about that, they were very excited.”
As money flowed in well beyond their expectations, the triplets were very pleased and realized that they were within reach of paying for all of the bassinets required.
To hit the target, they enlisted the support of their aunt, who arranged a fundraiser – a movie screening at Yorkdale.
Friends and family bought tickets to a preview of Journey to the Center of the Earth, and with the added funds from ticket sales, the final total raised was $30,317.
While the hospital is extremely happy about the donation, mom and dad are also beaming with pride.
“We are proud of them all the time, but even more so with this endeavour,” says Michael.
“They got behind this and really embraced it.”
Recently, the triplets went to Sunnybrook to deliver their gift, and to pay their first visit to the NICU since their birth.
“It was really amazing to see the babies,” Samantha said. “It helped us see how important [the donation] is.”