Holland Bloorview Hospital Kids Lead Daring Movement in Childhood Disability

​Ultralight Creative invited the kids of Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation Hospital to issue the challenge to pay attention, to see the everyday daring of children with disabilities and for donors to show up and take action.

To support the largest fundraising campaign for childhood disability in Canada’s history Holland Bloorview required a bold and exciting creative direction. ‘Together We Dare’ is mischievous, playful and direct. It captures the joy and energy of the kids and invites donors to be daring.

Developed by Toronto-based independent agency Ultralight Creative ‘Together We Dare’ reimagines the idea of daring as a solo act of bravery and reframes daring as a collective act of support, belief and momentum. At the heart of the campaign is a powerful insight: ‘No one dares alone’ and if the kids of Holland Bloorview are daring everyday, the rest of us can rise to meet them.

“This campaign was built in creative partnership with the kids themselves — not just featuring them, but following their lead. Our role was to bring their boldness, joy, and fire to life with a creative vision that could match their spirit,” said Matt Hassell, founder, Ultralight Creative.

Holland Bloorview has set its most ambitious fundraising goal ever: raise $100 million to establish a Centre for Excellence in Childhood Disability. 10% of the world's population are kids with disabilities, yet only 1% of healthcare philanthropy in Canada supports them. With this campaign Holland Bloorview is daring donors to shape the future of disability health care for kids in Canada, and the globe.

The campaign’s hero spot, ‘We Dare You’ flips the familiar narrative by giving kids the mic, not in a plea for help but through direct address and playful messaging that provokes, invites and motivates the audience to act. It’s a little mischievous and completely alive.

“This is the largest fundraising campaign in Holland Bloorview’s history,” said Ashleigh Saith, vice president of strategy and public engagement at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation. “Kids with disabilities face an alarming disparity when it comes to getting high-quality health care. This new campaign will help scale and spread the expertise Holland Bloorview developed over the last 125 years so that kids across Canada can benefit from it.”

Holland Bloorview has a long history working with Matt Hassell at Ultralight Creative. While at a previous agency, Matt partnered with Holland Bloorview kids and families to challenge disability stigma with the five-year ‘Dear Everybody’ advocacy campaign.

“Together We Dare is the next step for us,” said Ashleigh. “We’re building on awareness gains and a growing donor base to launch this first-ever campaign. Our donor community is excited to be part of something this big.”

‘Together We Dare’ is rooted in Holland Bloorview’s approach to positive and inclusive storytelling. Their storytelling shirks traditional narratives of disability, focusing instead on sharing stories of strength and optimism and centering client voices along the way. “This campaign was built in creative partnership with the kids themselves — not just featuring them but following their lead. Our role was to bring their boldness, joy, and fire to life with a creative vision that could match their spirit," said Matt.

While the storytelling is playful, the campaign highlights the critical gaps in health care that kids with disabilities experience in Canada and motivates donors to act with urgency by showing them what’s possible when we come together to do something daring.

The ‘Together We Dare’ campaign is running in the Greater Toronto Area in OOH, print, broadcast, digital platforms, radio and social. The hero film can be found on our website TogetherWeDare.ca.