Wonderland Tea Party 10th Anniversary for Mental Health at CHEO 2025

Join us on June 1, 2025

Dear Friend of CHEO,

The Hubley family has been strongly committed to helping children suffering from mental health issues ever since their eldest son, Jamie, who suffered from depression, died by suicide in 2011. Working with community donors, and the CHEO Foundation since 2016, Wendy began her journey to help patients at CHEO by first redecorating and revitalizing the mental health department’s patient lounge, in loving memory of her beloved son.

CHEO is very grateful that the Hubley family’s unwavering support for mental health care has been matched by the generosity of family, friends, and a caring business community — and that is why the Volunteer Committee of the Wonderland Tea Party Event is fundraising for its 10th year to improve access to mental health care.

Kids these days are facing pressures and challenges that are leading to depression, anxiety and isolation. In the last decade, CHEO has seen an enormous increase in the numbers of children presenting to the Emergency Department in mental health distress, managing over 3,100 visits last year alone, with over 1,100 of those being handled by the 24/7 team during overnight hours. This service is funded by donors and is making a real difference. It would simply not exist without the generosity of this community.

Meeting the ongoing mental health crisis requires a consistent community approach, such as the one seen year over year at the Wonderland Tea Party. Project creator and director, Wendy Hubley, always finds energy to accomplish more. “In addition to the revitalization of the patient lounge in the mental health wing at CHEO, and since we began our Wonderland Tea Party ten years ago, we have raised more than $275,000 to support mental health care and services available to children, youth and families. This has been a very healing journey for me, and we are excited to be once again bringing the community together to raise funds in support of the work that goes on at CHEO.”

CHEO is a leader in pediatric mental health care, providing emergency, inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment and services, including help for kids in crisis, support for those struggling with eating disorders, and three school-based programs called Steps to Success, Centre Ado, and Back on Track.

Here’s how you can help us support mental health care at CHEO:

• Purchase a ticket online for $60 and receive a $20 tax receipt by email.
• Make a monetary donation online and receive an electronic tax receipt.
• Donate items, or gift certificates, to our silent auction and/or our prize draw.
• Sponsor our Wonderland Tea Party event.
  – Contact our event creator, Wendy Hubley, to request a copy of our Partnership Package

All donations, silent auction items, and sponsorship support received before April 30, 2025, will ensure recognition in our event promotions on our website, through the CHEO Foundation’s event ticketing website, via social media, and through email to our current guests, as well as targeted communications to 300+ past guests (most being middle-income-level women with household purchasing power).

Please, join local community leaders and our fun-loving guests for the 10^th annual edition of the Wonderland Tea Party and help this popular event continue to support CHEO’s dedicated treatment programs for patients in need of tailored mental health services – help affected children start their journey towards the wellness that so many of us take for granted.

This year’s Wonderland Tea Party Event will be emceed by the compassionate Katherine Dines from MOVE100 radio, with guests sampling a variety of tea sandwiches, sweets, and profiteroles, as well as specialty teas and coffee.

 **Please note that tax receipts ($20 receipt on each $60 ticket purchase) can only be issued to the ticket purchaser and cannot be changed. If you are purchasing tickets on behalf of a group, the other group members will not be able to get a receipt.