Brantford residents stopped by a neighbourhood lemonade stand and barbecue fundraiser for the Brant Kidney Foundation and Good Will Good Karma animal shelter on Saturday, July 4, 2026.
During the event, visitors indulged in hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies and refreshing drinks. Youngsters, and even adults, took advantage of the onsite face painter, while others took a shot at guessing how many candies were in different jars.
Guests could also purchase Good Will Good Karma colouring books, or enter to win an all things lemon-themed raffle basket.
Brantford resident Lashell Elgie, said while this was the first time partnering with Good Will Good Karma, this was the fourth year she and her family had put on the event in support of the Kidney Foundation.
“The Kidney Foundation is near and dear to our hearts because my son Weston is almost 11, and seven years ago he got a kidney transplant when he was three-years-old. He was born with kidney failure and started dialysis when he was just five days old,” she said. “He’s since had 37 surgeries and has been put under over 100 times. He has his own struggles, and there were a lot of post-transplant complications but he’s stable right now, and I’ll take stability over being in hospital any day.”
While the family often participates in the annual Kidney Walk in September, the barbecue and lemonade stand is just another way to give back to an organization that means so much to them. Since starting the event, the Elgie family, along with the support of the community, has raised around $5,500 for the Kidney Foundation.
Elgie said the decision to team up with Good Will Good Karma this year was an easy one.
“Will [Finch] and my oldest, Malcolm (15), met playing football and rugby, and the family has become pretty much like family ever since,” she said. “This is our first time teaming up with them and it’s been absolutely amazing.”
Finch said the idea to partner up for the occasion was an easy choice.
“Malcolm and I played football and rugby at BCI and we’ve just grown together,” he said. “His family came up with the idea, and we just supported it along the way, so 50 per cent of the proceeds will go to the Kidney Foundation, and 50 per cent will go to our animal rescue.”
Finch said Good Will Good Karma started when he was just seven.
“I got my first puppy, her name was Karma and she passed away from parvovirus at a young age,” he explained. “I was heartbroken, so we started Good Will Good Karma and since then, we’ve raised close to a million dollars to raise funds for dogs and cats all across Canada.”
When asked how it felt to be part of the event, the 16-year-old said he couldn’t be happier.
“This is an amazing event,” said Finch. “Seeing a bunch of awesome people and youth volunteers here sporting kids like Weston is such an amazing feeling. My goal is to not only raise funds for rescue, but to inspire the youth too, so this is the perfect way to do that, especially with the people stopping in to support this cause.”
While at the fundraiser, Finch’s mother, Kristi, said she was thrilled with the community’s support, noting that Expedia Cruises sponsored the burgers from M&M Food Market, Devlin’s Country Bistro sponsored the buns, and local community members Susan and Al Hutchison, also donated $250 to help offset extra costs associated with the barbecue.
“It’s just incredible,” she said.
Elgie later told the Brant Beacon she was thankful for everyone that showed up.
“Thank you to everybody that came today, and who has come in previous years,” she said. “Thank you to everyone that just continues to support us.”
In the end, the event raised a total of $2,026 to be split between the two charities.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
