Making Wishes Come True With #BMO200

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for BMO200, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Back in late January, I learned about BMO’s Wish-It-Forward Fountain initiative they had developed as part of their 200th Anniversary celebrations. Their digital fountain has been visiting cities across North America and not only could you make a wish there, but also by visiting www.bmo200.com.

Since the launch, thousands of wishes have been “thrown” into the fountain and throughout the year, BMO will be granting wishes both big and small to make the dreams of Canadians across the country come true. Just last week, the very first wish was granted this past week right here in Nova Scotia at Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney.

Anne from Sydney Mines made a wish back on January 31st for a Lego city to be built for the pediatric wing to make the hospital feel more inviting and friendly for all the children who visit. Hear more of her story and why she chose this wish in the video below:

In order to involve the patients, BMO worked with the hospital to use the children’s drawings of their homes as inspiration for the Lego community, creating a home away from home for the kids. BMO helped to bring the drawings to life with more than 35,000 Lego pieces, building a bustling town complete with a Ferris Wheel, BMO branch, and special touches unique to the area like the iconic 60-foot fiddle located at the Port of Sydney. The Lego community play area was unveiled at the hospital, surrounded by the kids, Anne and her three children.

I was fortunate enough to not have to spend much time in hospitals as a child, but spent countless hours at the hospital in waiting rooms and visiting when I was 10 after my brother was in a bad car accident and broke his neck. I remember how boring it was there, and while I had the advantage of not having to be scared or worried about what was happening to me, it was still a scary place to be. I can’t imagine the fear those children who are spending many hours in the pediatric wing for appointments and procedures. Having something like this lego city to help keep their minds off what is going on is going to make such a wonderful difference in their lives.

[Tweet “Making heartfelt wishes come true all year long with #BMO200”]

So often we think that for wishes to come true they have to be expensive, lavish wishes, but that simply isn’t the case. This interactive Lego city for children showcases the bank’s vision to roll out meaningful community initiatives that will continue over the course of this year.

“I can’t think of a more deserving first wish to kick off our milestone year and continue with our legacy of giving back,” said Connie Stefankiewicz, Chief Marketing Officer, BMO Financial Group. “Thousands of wishes have been made at our BMO200 fountain and we wanted to ensure that the first one reflected the spirit of what we’re aiming to accomplish, by wishing it forward and helping our communities and individuals in a meaningful way.”

“Our patients and their families are incredibly thankful to BMO for building this Lego community play area in our atrium for so many to enjoy – it’s bringing a piece of home to them while they are at the hospital,” said Mickey Daye, Manager, Maternal Child Services, Cape Breton Regional Hospital. “BMO has really made a difference here in Sydney and the impact will ripple through our community.”

About #BMO200

Since launching in January, the #BMO200 fountain has captured the imagination of people across North America with more than 8,800 wishes cast as of March 27, 2017. The top three wish categories so far are Family, Happiness and Community.

BMO continues to encourage North Americans to make wishes for an opportunity to be selected and have their wish realized. Individuals and organizations can wish it forward by visiting www.BMO200.com or visiting one of the interactive BMO200 fountains which will be in Chicago, Illinois next month and Montréal, Québec during the fall.

Make A Wish!

Not going to be Chicago or Montreal but want to make a wish? Visit www.BMO200.com today and make your wish! Who knows – it might be the next wish to be granted!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for BMO200, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.