The entrance for Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital on September the 14th, 2008.Simon Hayter/The Globe and Mail
The donors: Nickolis Galliano De Luca Jr., Nick De Luca, Anna De Luca
The gift: Raising $1.8-million and climbing
The cause: Cardiology research at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children
A few years ago, Nickolis Galliano De Luca Jr. reached out to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children with an idea for a long-term fundraising project. He set up a meeting and was ready to outline his plans with a group of hospital officials. Sadly, he didn't make it to the meeting.
Mr. De Luca died of a massive heart attack the night before the meeting. He was just 26 years old. His family was devastated by the loss, but his parents Anna and Nick De Luca decided to take on the fundraising project in his name. Now, 10 years later, Nicky's Dream Foundation has raised $1.8-million in total for cardiology research at the hospital. The foundation holds regular gala events and golf tournaments and Ms. De Luca said they have been overwhelmed by the support. "It has been unbelievable," she said from the family home in Woodbridge, Ont., just north of Toronto.
The family, which also includes three daughters, run Nick De Luca Plumbing where Mr. De Luca had been working before his death. "He was just a very kind-hearted, helpful young man," his mother recalled. The fundraising "gives us a purpose and makes it something special to recognize him. … You close one door and you open another."
Paul Waldie