Community members are rallying behind a local family by hosting a variety of fundraisers.
Waylon Saunders made headlines earlier this year after the toddler survived a near drowning. He fell into an icy backyard pool while at an at-home daycare in January.
Despite his remarkable recovery, his mother had previously said Waylon has a long road ahead of him.
In recognizing this, Jessica Smith wanted to help the family in any way she could, so she organized a family-friendly musical show to be held in Petrolia on Saturday, March 11.
"Emilio's A Million Chameleons" will be held at Victoria Hall on Greenfield Street. Showtimes are 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
"The performer for this show [Adam Fancis Proulx] is one of my best friends … He was doing a March break tour of his new show and I thought, what perfect timing! Let's try and combine efforts and get a bunch of people out and help the family."
Smith said Proulx's show was done in collaboration with Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. The interactive show features puppets, and songs, and is all about celebrating inclusivity.
"I don't know the [Saunders] family at all but when I heard about the story, I live and work in Petrolia, and I have a son who is just a couple of months younger than Waylon. When I heard the story and saw what had happened, my heart just hurt for them," said Smith.
She said Victoria Hall holds about 400 people and approximately 200 tickets have been reserved for each performance.
The Petrolia Remax team sponsored the event so 100 per cent of the funds collected at the door will go to the Saunders family.
"I can't even begin to fathom what the family is going through so we just want to essentially help out in any way we can. If we can help in a small way by raising some donations, then we hope we can do that," Steven Taylor of Remax said.
Anyone wanting to reserve tickets for the 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. shows can email chameleonsforwaylon@gmail.com.
Later this month, a separate fundraiser will be held at Rüstr Music Hall on London Line in Sarnia.
Waylon's Wish will be held on Sunday, March 26 from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Five local bands, including Painkiller Jane and Rumble Fish, are set to perform. The event will also include door prizes and 50/50 draws. Entrance will be by donation.