Our History
The vision for The Darling Home for Kids was born out of a recognized need for community-based support for families caring for children with complex medical needs, many of whom were living with progressive, life-limiting illnesses. At the time, there were no facilities in Ontario that combined both respite and hospice palliative care for children in a home-like and fully equipped environment.
Today, as a leader in pediatric complex care, we remain the only organization in Canada to offer a continuum of care for medically complex children, through out-of-home respite, residential and hospice care services. Our goal is to provide a Home away from home for these children and their families, offering them love, care, and support.
The history of our charity includes many individuals who were instrumental in our success. Our founder Maggie Waligora was the original champion of our cause, David Bowker worked tirelessly to bring Maggie’s vision to life, the Cherry Family whose support during the early days enabled us to build our Home, and our government partners who understood our mission and need in our community and provided sustainable funding to achieve our goal.
We are grateful to our organization’s Guardians, Michele Darling, Michael Eagen and their family for their incredible support. Since 2007, the organization has been named in their honour and they have been thoughtful custodians, exemplifying our charity’s mission and vision.
Your Impact
Your support has a direct impact on our children’s care and enables us to be there, to celebrate our children’s victories. It is because of the generosity of donors and friends like you that we’re able to help them reach their full potential.
274 children have benefitted from our Programs and Services since 2004.
24 children have lived at The Darling Home for Kids within our Residential Program.
Since opening our bright red doors, we have provided over 745,000 hours of service.
Our Annual Report reflects the impact we’ve made together and the lives we’ve touched along the way. Thanks to your support, families have found comfort, connection, and community through our care and family support programs, while children have enjoyed meaningful experiences, therapies, and opportunities to create lasting memories. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and invite you to celebrate all that we have accomplished together.
Our Stories
The Darling Home for Kids is filled with joy because of the dedication of so many people who care about the children and families we serve. Check out what’s happening around the Home in our latest edition of Homefront.
What Our Donors Are Saying
Steven Hart, Donor & VolunteerThe Darling Home for Kids provides high quality services to medically fragile children in a boutique-like oasis. The Home is large enough to help many families yet small enough that each child gets the hands-on attention they need. This state-of-the-art home provides respite care to families who need it most. I have been a supporter of the Home for years by attending events as well as being a monthly donor. If you have not had the opportunity to visit the Home. I would highly recommend doing so. Once you see the work done by the fantastic staff and how happy the kids are in this truly unique environment, I’m sure you will want to get involved and perhaps become a monthly contributor as well.
Hear From Families
While our children create beautiful memories within our walls, their parents can rest easy knowing their child is loved and cared for. With your help we are providing exceptional care, enriching the lives of children and families, and building towards our shared vision of a world where no child is too complex to receive the love, care, and support they deserve.