It is the third highest amount ever raised in the WE Care for Kids Campaign.
$430,000 was raised in this year's fundraiser to help support local paediatric health care services in Windsor and Essex County.
30 cheques, both big and small, were presented Friday from businesses, individuals and kids who decided to forgo gifts for their birthday in exchange for collecting money for the campaign.
"We are thrilled, we are stunned. When I knew the numbers coming in I was like 'Oh my god', you have got to be kidding me," says WE Care For Kids Foundation President Leah Hanson. "We are about as giving back as much as we possibly can. We don't like to keep it, we don't like to spend it, we like to raise it and give it back."
The 2017 We Care for Kids Campaign. November 17, 2017 (Photo by AM800's Teresinha Medeiros)
Hanson says a disbursement committee will now review the wish list of local organizations to decide how the money is spent.
This was the 20th year for the campaign which has raised in total $6.8-million.