London, Ont.- People looking for new ways to celebrate life's big moments such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays or bar/bat mitzvahs have been turning to celebration giving, where the person(s) celebrating donate to a charity of choice or encourage others to donate in lieu of gifts. London Health Sciences Foundation has recently started a Celebration Giving program to help those who chose to celebrate a special person or occasion in this meaningful way.

Funds donated through LHSF's Celebration Giving Program can support: Cancer Care, Cardiac Care, Clinical Neurological Sciences, Mental Health, Orthopaedic Care, Personalized Medicine, Minimally Invasive Surgical Technologies, Women's Care, or Highest-Priority-Needs at London Health Sciences Centre. It's a way of making a lasting impression by supporting the work of doctors, researchers and care givers who are changing and saving the lives of patients and families in London and around the world.

In the case of weddings, the foundation provides materials that can be used in lieu of wedding favours or gifts.

"There is a minimum donation listed on each item, with an opportunity to add more before completing your order," says Shannon Digby, the foundation's development officer for Community Events and Celebration Giving. "Often people consider spending between three and five dollars per guest on wedding favours, and determine the amount of their donation accordingly."

Materials that can be ordered for weddings include: individual place cards to notify guests about the donation, a "certificate of donation" that is set in a common area to notify guests of the contribution, and donation request cards that ask guests to donate in lieu of gifts prior to the event.

For people donating on any special occasion in lieu of a gift, the foundation will mail a card to the honoree informing them of the donation. A tax receipt is issued for the full amount of wedding orders and those who make a donation in lieu of gifts also get a tax receipt.

"We suggest that you order items at least four weeks prior to your wedding or special occasion to ensure that we have the materials in stock and to allow time for shipping through Canada Post," says LHSF Community Events Manager Lindsay Manz.

For more information visit www.lhsf.ca/ways-to-give/celebration-giving.