Photo courtesy of Miracle Max's Minions via Facebook. Photo courtesy of Miracle Max's Minions via Facebook.
Sarnia

Sunflower fields to bloom in late August in memory of Max

The brightest blooms from Miracle Max's Minions are expected at the end of August.

The sunflower event, in memory of two-year-old Max Rombouts who died of leukemia, was started in 2019.

Organizer Brian Schoonjans said while his field on Douglas Line is taking a break from sunflowers for the next few years, a field in the Wyoming area will likely bloom first.

"Starting about August 20, we'll have new cooperators John and Joyce vanKlaveren, on London Line just east of where Sipkens was on the same road, they've planted a couple of acres for us and look forward to welcoming the public in for picture taking, selfies and flower picking," Schoonjans said.

He expects fields in Watford and north Lambton to follow.

"We have John and Jill Van Loon over on Confederation Line. They've done two years of sunflowers, and then canola last year, and are back to sunflowers this year. They'll be shortly after vanKlaveren's. Then Max's parents, Kevin and Jamie -- they're between the Ravenswood and the Thedford area --  and they've planted a patch in memory of Max this year," Schoonjans said.

Meantime, the Rogers farm, at 7184 Lakeshore Road in Kettle Point, is currently in full bloom.

"They are farmers who plan to grow this crop every year to harvest and sell for income for their family and farm, and because they're on Highway 21 and get a lot of traffic, people were getting us confused with them," Schoonjans said. "People were looking for donation boxes, so Doug and Tracy decided to join us, but ask that there is no picking of flowers there."

Schoonjans said they've collected close to $500,000 in donations for kids' cancer charities, and to run Max's Pass, a program that covers hospital parking for families with terminally ill children.

"I think the total right now is around $465,000 that we've donated to help kids, or families with kids, fighting cancer. We've given to Ronald McDonald House, we've supplied funds to help with research. It's pretty humbling. Five years of doing this and all of the love that's been shared in Max's name," he said.

Updates on the fields will be posted to the Miracle Max’s Minions Facebook page.

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