With the guidance of the Victoria Foundation, Tristan Graham and his mom Karen McCoy established a fund called the Tristan Graham Foundation in 2005. Little did they know this was only the beginning. Here’s more about Tristan, his amazing story and incredible spirit of caring.
May 10, 2008 - The Globe and Mail
A love of animals sends a boy on a mission
The Donor: Tristan Graham
The Donation: $15,000 and climbing
The Cause: The Victoria Foundation
The Reason: Support for disabled children, abused animals and the environment.
Tristan Graham, 13, has taken his love for animals further than most children. Tristan has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare form of MD that keeps him wheelchair bound.
But that hasn’t stopped him from becoming the youngest donor in the history of the Victoria Foundation and a tireless fundraiser for his favourite cause: helping animals.
Together with his mother, Karen, and stepfather, Neil, Tristan created the Tristan Graham Children’s Foundation in 2006. The fund is managed by the Victoria Foundation, and Tristan and his family have a say in where annual returns on the money are donated.
So far, the contributions have been earmarked to the Victoria branch of the BCSPCAbut future gifts will also go to help disabled children and various environmental causes. To date, they have gifted almost $15,000 to the BCSPCA.
Aside from those activities, Tristan is also the 2008 poster boy for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, and volunteers some of his time at the BCSPCA.
With six pets at home – two cats, two dogs, one bird and one hamster – animals remain Tristan’s main priority.
“I really like animals,” he said from his home.
With Rick Mercer at the Foundation's 75th celebration, 2011.