Community Events

At The Kindness and Smile Zone, Ayona Jaswal and us love bringing people together through community events and creating connections! We have proudly hosted and partnered with numerous organizations, community centers, and local groups to spread joy and positivity. Check out this page below to see all of our incredible past events and the impact we've made together! 

Franco Ontarian Day Donation

UPCOMING!

Partnering with Regional YMCA Youth Programs to Inspire Youth Community Service

Ayona Jaswal and The Kindness and Smile Zone team extend our deepest gratitude to the YMCA branches across Southwestern Ontario for their incredible collaboration and commitment to uplifting children in need.

Through dedicated youth programs at seven branches, including the Startech.com Community Centre YMCA, Centre Branch YMCA, Stoney Creek Community Centre YMCA, Family YMCA of St Thomas-Elgin, Petrolia YMCA, Sarnia Lambton YMCA Jerry McCaw Family Centre, and the Central Huron and Goderich Huron YMCAs, youth participants came together to support our hospital care initiatives.

During these collaborative efforts, youth created uplifting handmade cards and gathered donations to help assemble care packages for children and youth undergoing hospital stays. It has been truly inspiring to see youth actively step up for community service across London, Ontario, and neighboring cities. We hope this initiative sparks a lasting passion for volunteerism and youth leadership, showing young people the impact they can create. We are profoundly grateful to the YMCA leadership and youth program staff for welcoming Ayona and our team, fostering vibrant spaces for youth-led service, and helping us deliver messages of strength, hope, and joy to young patients.

Learn more here.

Donation Drive at Oakridge Presbyterian Church

The Kindness and Smile Zone is grateful to Oakridge Presbyterian Church for their generous support in establishing a new community donation box at their facility. We extend our sincere thanks to the church leadership, staff, and community for welcoming our initiative and supporting our mission.

This dedicated donation box allows community members to conveniently drop off essential items and gifts designed to support children in need and young hospital patients. By partnering with local community organizations like Oakridge Presbyterian Church, we are able to expand our reach and collect vital resources that bring comfort and encouragement to children facing health and personal challenges.

Thank you to the entire Oakridge Presbyterian Church family for your generosity, dedication, and shared commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of children across our community!

Learn more here.

Cards Donations with a Special Surprise!

Ayona Jaswal from The Kindness and Smile Zone team is thrilled to announce the successful drop-off and delivery of an incredible donation for children receiving care at the hospital! Through this special initiative, The Kindness and Smile Zone donated tens of books, each paired with a unique, uplifting, handmade card surprise tucked inside the books, to bring comfort, courage, and bright smiles to brave young patients and their families. These gifts will be distributed directly to kids during Dr. Beary Goode rounds to brighten their hospital stay.

We extend our gratitude to the books donated by the Scholastic Canada Possible Fund, which made this possible. This milestone was truly a community effort, made possible by the dedication of several incredible partners who hosted card-making drives with us throughout the months:

Dale Brain Injury Services: For welcoming us to run a wonderful card-making activity drive and allowing us to share our journey.

Chartwell Riverside Retirement Residence: For bridging generations and sharing warmth while crafting alongside local seniors.

BGC London: For welcoming Ayona to speak with the Youth Action Team and lead a collaborative card-making workshop.

We are profoundly grateful to every volunteer, staff member, peer, and resident who poured their heart into crafting these messages of hope and strength. Together, small acts of kindness continue to create the biggest smiles!

Learn more here. 

$500 Donation for the Children's Health Foundation

Ayona Jaswal from The Kindness and Smile Zone is grateful to receive a $500 donation from the London Community Foundation.

With this generous support, Ayona is thrilled to choose to send this donation to the Children’s Health Foundation, a foundation that has provided immense support to Ayona throughout her personal health journey since birth. Giving back to the Children’s Health Foundation that plays such a pivotal role in supporting young patients and families in our region is a truly meaningful milestone for our team.

We extend our sincere thanks to the London Community Foundation for believing in our mission, and to the Children’s Health Foundation for their unwavering care and dedication to pediatric health.

Together, we look forward to continuing our work of bringing hope, encouragement, and bright smiles to children across our community!

Learn more here.

Donation Drive for Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre

Ayona Jaswal from The Kindness and Smile Zone team recently had the privilege of visiting Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre to donate 100 stuffed animals, 16 toy cars and 27 books dedicated to bringing comfort to children facing challenging life circumstances.

Merrymount plays a critical role in our community, offering crisis care, mental health services, and support programs for children and their families during difficult times. Through this donation, our goal was to provide young individuals with a sense of security and joy when they need it most.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the team at Merrymount for welcoming Ayona and for their unwavering commitment to protecting and nurturing children. We are also endlessly grateful to our donors, volunteers, and community supporters, your incredible generosity is what makes these impactful initiatives possible. Together, we continue to prove that even small acts of care can bring the brightest smiles!

Learn more here and here.

Fun Friday Event at Storybook Garden

Ayona Jaswal and The Kindness and Smile Zone team were thrilled to come to Storybook Gardens to host an interactive, educational community booth during their Festival Friday event. We want to extend our sincere thanks to the Storybook Gardens team for welcoming us and providing a wonderful space to share our mission with so many local families.

Throughout the day, Ayona had the opportunity to connect directly with children and parents, sharing the story behind our youth-led initiative and highlighting how small acts of kindness create lasting change. Families came together at our booth to create beautiful and handmade cards for children in need and contribute to a vibrant community kindness mural that celebrated unity, compassion, and the power of kindness along with worksheets for younger children to learn more about kindness.

To keep the momentum going, every child left with a keepsake kindness crayon as a daily reminder to spread joy in their own unique way.

Learn more here.

Card Making Activity at South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre

Ayona Jaswal and The Kindness and Smile Zone team had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre to host an interactive and meaningful session for their youth volunteers. We extend our sincere gratitude to the dedicated team at the centre for welcoming us and providing a space to connect with such motivated young leaders.

During the visit, Ayona presented her personal story and journey, highlighting the mission of The Kindness and Smile Zone and discussing how youth-driven action creates a lasting ripple effect of compassion in the community. Following the interactive presentation, the group came together for an engaging card-making workshop. The youth volunteers poured their creativity into creating uplifting, handmade cards designed to bring hope, comfort, and smiles to children in need.

Thank you to the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre staff and volunteers for your time and commitment to making a positive difference!

Learn more here.

Card Making Activity at the PEAR Lab

Ayona Jaswal had the privilege of collaborating with the Psychobiology of Eating and Related Disorders (PEAR) Lab at Western University to host an uplifting card-making activity for one of their lab meetings. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible researchers, students, and staff at the PEAR Lab for welcoming Ayona and supporting our mission.

During the interactive session, Ayona had the opportunity to present her personal story and journey, sharing the vision behind The Kindness and Smile Zone. Connecting with such dedicated academic and research leaders was an inspiring experience that truly highlighted the power of combining passion with research to create positive social impact.

Together, the lab team and Ayona created a beautiful collection of handmade cards designed to bring hope, encouragement, and bright smiles to children in need. Thank you to everyone at the PEAR Lab for your incredible hospitality, time, and dedication to spreading kindness!

Learn more here.

Card Making Activity at LUSO Community Services

Ayona Jaswal collaborated with LUSO Community Services to support youth across both their Breakfast Club and Pen Pal Club programs. We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to their wonderful team for welcoming us and for their commitment to empowering children in high-needs communities.

During these interactive sessions, I had the opportunity to share my personal story and journey while connecting directly with young participants. Ensuring that every youth feels included, valued, and heard is core to our mission, and spending time together was an incredible reminder of the power of community.

Together, we created a beautiful collection of handmade cards to bring encouragement, hope, and smiles to children in need.

Learn more here and here.

Card Making Activity at BGC London

Ayona Jaswal and The Kindness and Smile Zone team had the amazing opportunity to partner with BGC London’s Youth Action team for an inspiring and interactive session focused on leadership and service. We extend our sincere thanks to the BGC London staff for welcoming us and for their commitment to supporting and uplifting young leaders.

During the session, Ayona shared her personal journey and the meaningful impact that passion-driven community work can create. 

Following the presentation, we led a collaborative card-making workshop where these passionate young leaders poured their creativity into making uplifting and handmade cards designed to bring hope, comfort, and bright smiles to children in need.

Learn more here.

Card Making Activity at Chartwell Riverside Retirement Centre

Ayona Jaswal had the privilege of collaborating with the Chartwell Riverside Retirement Centre to host a card-making activity drive. We want to extend our gratitude to their incredible staff for welcoming us and for their dedication to the community.

During the session, I had the wonderful opportunity to share my personal journey and story, but the true highlight was connecting with the participants. Learning from such inspiring individuals was an experience I am grateful for.

Together, we created a beautiful collection of handmade cards for children in need to bring comfort, hope, and smiles to their days.

Learn more here.

Card Making Activity at Dale Brain Injury Services Centre

Ayona Jaswal had the privilege of collaborating with Dale Brain Injury Services to host a card-making activity drive. We want to extend our gratitude to their incredible staff for welcoming us and for their tireless dedication to the community.

During the session, I had the wonderful opportunity to share my personal journey and story, but the true highlight was connecting with the participants. Learning from such courageous, resilient, and inspiring individuals was an experience I am grateful for.

Together, we created a beautiful collection of handmade cards for children in need to bring comfort, hope, and smiles to their days.

Learn more here and here and here.

Card Making Activity for Children's Health Foundation

250+ Stuffed Animals Donation