The Count asked SickKids donors to fight for every child’s next birthday

SickKids’ year-long Fight for Every Birthday campaign raised $3,328,050 in one-time donations. At its centre was The Count, a film that used the hospital’s 150th anniversary to focus attention on the birthdays its patients were fighting to reach.

Released in Canada on 3 April 2025, the film featured 23 real SickKids patients. Athletic training and birthday imagery came together to present every additional year as something that required care, effort and support.

SickKids’ 150th birthday pointed towards the next one

SickKids reached its 150th anniversary during a difficult period for charitable fundraising in Canada. The campaign needed to mark the hospital’s history while giving people a reason to support its future work.

Fight for Every Birthday connected the anniversary to an experience shared by every family. Birthdays record how much a child has grown, but for children facing serious illnesses, reaching the next one may not be certain.

The campaign placed those future birthdays ahead of the hospital’s past achievements. Its central request invited people to donate $150 in recognition of 150 years of SickKids.

The Count gave that request an emotional centre. It presented patients as children working towards another birthday rather than asking viewers to think only about a medical institution.

Twenty-three patients trained for another year

The Count was filmed almost entirely inside the hospital. Its cast included 23 real patients who were receiving or had recently received treatment at SickKids.

The film connected their experiences with the preparation of professional athletes. Training scenes were blended with birthday imagery, creating a link between physical effort and the milestones each patient hoped to reach.

The production worked with the hospital’s Patient Outreach Team to select children who could take part safely. Standard auditions and rehearsals were difficult because several participants were still undergoing treatment.

Medical circumstances also meant that casting continued to change close to the shoot. Some children became unavailable only days before filming.

The scenes were created practically so the patients could interact with the environments around them. Their participation gave the athletic idea a real foundation. The physical effort on screen came from children who already understood what it meant to keep going through difficult treatment.

Inspire, Believe and Act carried the story forward

The Count introduced the wider fundraising campaign through television, online video, social media and outdoor advertising. This opening phase was called Inspire and established the fight behind every next birthday.

The Believe phase followed with more focused video content. These stories showed how a $150 donation could support the hospital and its patients.

The final Act phase used targeted digital communication to reach people who had already interacted with the campaign and encourage them to donate.

This structure allowed the main film to concentrate on the emotional idea. The later stages provided the practical information needed to turn attention into financial support.

The campaign passed its fundraising targets

The year-long anniversary campaign raised $3,328,050 in one-time donations. That represented 128 percent of its original revenue target.

It also brought in 18,137 new one-time donors, reaching 117 percent of the campaign goal. Another 9,788 people became monthly donors, exceeding that target by eight percent.

Year-on-year revenue increased by 10 percent, while the average donation increased by 181 percent.

The hospital’s age supplied the occasion for the campaign. The birthdays of its patients supplied the reason to give.

Credits

The Count and Fight for Every Birthday (2025). SickKids Foundation, Canada. Agency FCB Canada. Chief Creative Officer Nancy Crimi-Lamanna. Executive Creative Director Andrew MacPhee. Associate Creative Directors Brendan McMullen and Jacob Pacey. Art Director Erika Jee. Copywriter Reena Feldman. Production Iconoclast. Director Clément Durou. Director of Photography Shady Hanna. Production services Merchant. Editing Work Editorial. Music and sound Soundtree Music. Visual effects and colour ARC Creative. Media Cairns Oneil. Public relations Citizen Relations.