Ann was nine years old when she moved to Victoria from Salmon Arm with her parents and three siblings. Not long afterwards, she became ill with rheumatic fever and spent...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ann-Smith.png490735chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2025-05-02 09:05:472025-05-06 13:41:47Ann’s story: A year at the Queen Alexandra Solarium
In the mid-1920s, there wasn’t a single facility on Vancouver Island–or indeed, the entire province–dedicated to caring for the health needs of children. As a result, kids with challenges like...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Solarium-Junior-League.png245368chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2025-03-06 09:40:172025-03-10 11:50:51The women who’ve shaped the health care journeys of Island kids for nearly a century
For nearly 100 years, we’ve been supporting the health of Island kids. And in that time, our organization has been known by different names. Our programs have evolved to support...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/FMPHOTO-269.jpg6841024chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2024-03-14 12:33:312025-07-07 13:05:29What it means to put the health of Island kids first
In a retirement community nestled in the West Shore, a remarkable woman named Beth resides, embodying a life rich in gratitude and compassion. Her story is one of a deep...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Frank-ONeil0004-e1718395732103.jpg362485chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2023-09-26 10:06:272025-07-07 13:06:30A culture of compassion
This story is part of a series that celebrates the legacy of the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health, paying tribute to the origins of Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Susan-Nickum-900x600-1.jpg600900chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2023-01-17 16:28:152025-01-24 09:53:58How a shift in the philosophy of care helped transform the lives of children and their families
In speaking with PhD candidate Manda Roddick, her resilience and passion for making an impact become immediately clear. In addition to pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Victoria,...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/manda-roddick-cropped.png495807chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2021-03-24 13:24:092025-01-24 09:54:03A conversation with Manda Roddick: Using complex health challenges as a catalyst for social change
For born and raised Islander Kelsey, her innate passion for giving back is rooted in her early childhood experiences. As a professional working full-time in the child, family, and community...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Kelsey-Highsted-photo.jpeg15111511chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2020-10-06 16:06:132025-01-24 09:54:07Meet Kelsey: Looking back on a childhood at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health
Ask Victoria resident Janice Mason about her brother David and she’s quick to describe him as a central part of their tight-knit family. The youngest child of four, David was...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Web-size-post.png6281200chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2020-04-23 13:03:072025-01-24 09:54:09A conversation with Janice Mason and the legacy of her brother David
When she was just nine years old, Marguerite Weber spent a year living at the Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children (QA) in Mill Bay. Little did she know that...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-07-09-Marguerite-photo-scaled.jpg17072560chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2019-10-29 10:16:232025-01-24 09:54:11Marguerite Weber’s story: A Queen Alexandra Solarium reunion 40 years in the making
Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island is honoured to receive an astounding $2.5 million legacy gift, left by the late Margaret Delphine Smith.
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Margaret-Delphine-Smith.png966645chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2019-08-27 09:10:462025-01-24 09:54:11Children’s Health Foundation honours the late Margaret Smith for $2.5 million legacy gift for Island kids
This story is part of a series that celebrates the legacy of the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health, paying tribute to the origins of Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG_0828-scaled.jpg17072560chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2019-07-04 09:49:032025-01-24 09:54:12Camp Queen Alexandra: How this patient’s stay at the Queen Alexandra Solarium became the summer camp experience he never had
This story is part of a series that celebrates the legacy of the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health, paying tribute to the origins of Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver...
https://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/04.17.2019-Sherman-2-scaled.jpg17072560chf_adminhttps://islandkidsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/chf-logo-white.svgchf_admin2019-05-15 11:40:082025-01-24 09:54:1240 years of QA memories: How the longest standing employee at the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health saved hundreds of archives from being destroyed