Our founder, Denise Bebenek's, 25th Anniversary Gala Speech

On September 23rd, 2026, Meagan Bebenek Foundation celebrated 25 years of impact in support of paediatric brain tumour research in Toronto at the Night of Discovery gala.

The evening was a remarkable celebration of the dedication of our community over the past quarter century that served to help shape an even brighter future for the children and families facing one of the most devastating childhood cancers.

Our founder, Denise Bebenek, shared a moving speech that reflects on what the last 25 years have meant to her, which you can now read below.

Twenty-five years ago, Meagan Bebenek Foundation began with one little girl. Our daughter, Meagan.

And with a promise that the heartbreak our family experienced would become something more. That we would do everything we could to create hope for the next child and the next family battling Meagan’s disease.

At the time, I could never have imagined where that promise would take us.

I could never have imagined the researchers who would become our partners. The families who would become part of our family. Or the thousands of people who would find their own way to become part of Meagan's story, and our HUG.

Over 25 years, we have built something much bigger than an organization.

We have built a community.

That community has included sponsors, corporate partners and family foundations who have stood beside us year after year. Volunteers who have given countless hours. Board members who have shared their expertise and their hearts. Families who have trusted us with their stories.

We are fortunate to have two of those incredible communities represented in the room tonight.

FreshCo and TRMA Canada have both embraced our cause in ways that go far beyond fundraising. They have introduced new people to our mission, rallied their colleagues and communities around our children and families, and made a lasting impression on our work. We are so grateful to have you here tonight and to have you as part of the MBF family.

And then there is Bike for Kids — a wonderful example of what can happen when someone decides to turn an idea into action. It began in 2017, when two gentlemen, Sean and Nir,  got on their bikes and cycled across Canada to raise money and awareness for MBF. They could have stopped when that incredible journey ended — but they didn’t. Bike for Kids has continued fundraising, riding and introducing new people to our cause ever since.

These are the kinds of relationships that have shaped our first 25 years. People find their own way to become part of this story — and then they bring others with them.

There are people who first came to an event years ago to volunteer or support a friend who are still with us today.  I see Andria Case in our audience who has also been with us for a long time from CTV News, and has remained as a volunteer out of the goodness of her heart.

That is one of the things I treasure most when I look back on these 25 years.

People came because of a cause. They stayed because they became part of a family.

And then there are the children.

One of the most special parts of our journey has been watching children discover that they don't have to wait until they are adults to make a difference.

Through our HUGS School Program, we are bringing the values of Hope, Understanding, Gratitude and Support into schools and giving young people an opportunity to put those values into action.

At its heart, HUGS is about something beautifully simple:

Kids helping kids.

Children learning about other children who are facing something incredibly difficult and deciding that they can do something to help. They can raise awareness. They can show kindness. They can advocate. They can take action. And perhaps somewhere among those students is a future scientist, doctor, researcher or philanthropist who will carry this work even further. That is how hope grows.

Through the MBF Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Program, our investment has helped develop expertise that extends beyond the walls of SickKids. Fellows can carry the knowledge and experience they gain with them throughout their careers, helping children and advancing the field wherever their work takes them around our world. 

And when war created an unimaginable crisis for families in Ukraine, our community responded through Hope for Ukraine.

For me, these are reminders that hope doesn't recognize borders.

What started with one little girl in Toronto has grown into something capable of touching lives far beyond anything we could have imagined 25 years ago literally now across our world. 

And none of it happened because of one person.

It happened because people kept saying yes.

Yes, I'll volunteer.

Yes, I'll sponsor.

Yes, I'll walk.

Yes, I'll bring this into my school.

Yes, I'll organize something in my community.

Yes, I'll fund that research.

Yes, I believe we can do better for these children.

So tonight, as we celebrate 25 years of hope, I want to say thank you.

To every person and organization that has been part of this journey: you helped build this. And now, we have the opportunity to decide what we build next. Because despite how far science has come, our work is not finished.

There are still children receiving diagnoses no parent should ever have to hear.

There are still brain tumours with devastatingly few treatment options.

There are still families waiting for better answers.

And somewhere tonight, there is a researcher asking a question that could change that.

But researchers need more than great ideas.

They need the tools to pursue them.

That is why what we are doing here tonight matters.

Together, we have an opportunity to help fund critical new laboratory equipment that will give researchers the tools they need to advance their work.

We may call it laboratory equipment.

But what we are really funding is possibility.

The possibility of seeing something researchers couldn't see before.

Of answering a question they couldn't answer before.

Of testing an idea that could take us in an entirely new direction.

Because before there is a breakthrough, there is an idea.

Before there is a clinical trial, there is a question.

And behind both is a researcher who needs the tools to find the answer.

Tonight, we can put those tools in their hands.

To the doctors and researchers here tonight, thank you for continuing to ask the difficult questions. We are incredibly proud to stand beside you and help make your work possible.

And to the families in this room — you are the reason we are here.

Some of you are celebrating milestones that once felt impossible.

Some of you are still in the middle of your journey.

And some of you carry someone you love with you tonight in your heart.

Your children are behind every decision we make, every research project we support and every dollar we raise.

And to our donors — whether you have been with us for 25 years or tonight is your first Night of Discovery — I hope you understand the role you can play in what happens next.

You are not simply funding research. You are making discovery possible.

When you help fund this equipment tonight, you aren't just buying something that will sit in a laboratory.

You are putting technology into the hands of talented scientists.

You are giving them the opportunity to test new ideas and generate new evidence.

And perhaps most importantly, you are giving them the opportunity to discover something we don't know yet.

Twenty-five years ago, our family made a promise in Meagan's memory.

Tonight, that promise belongs to all of us.

And while I am incredibly proud of everything we have accomplished together, our 25th anniversary isn't a finish line.

It is the beginning of our next chapter.

Imagine a child diagnosed ten years from now having treatment options that don't exist today.

Imagine treatments designed specifically for children's developing brains.

Imagine more children growing up, going to school, graduating, building careers, falling in love and having families of their own.

That future won't simply arrive.

We have to build it.

And just as we have for the past 25 years, we will build it together. All of us in this room know that we are stronger together. We have been often called a movement of humanity, and while we are on this earth, there is no greater gift that I believe we can given than to stand united, together, for all children who need our hug. 

So tonight, let's fund what comes next.

Let's fund the questions.

Let's fund the ideas.

Let's fund the tools.

Let's fund the discoveries that haven't been made yet.

Because somewhere in the science we make possible today may be the answer a family is praying for tomorrow.

Meagan's life started this journey.

Thousands of people have carried it forward.

And 25 years later, our promise remains the same.

We will keep asking questions.

We will keep investing in discovery.

We will keep bringing people together.

And above all, we will keep hoping.

Because after 25 years, we know one thing for certain:

Hope changes everything.