The Little Troopers foundation started as a small community charity barbeque put together by Martine and Rocco Carinci in the summer of 2004. At that time the couple was searching for a way to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario as a means of thanking the neurosurgeons, doctors, and nurses at CHEO for saving their son Kyle’s life so many times. During the 2 years previous, Kyle had undergone 29 surgeries and had been hospitalized for more than 200 days. The Carinci family developed a unique understanding of the stress that families of sick children face on a continuous basis and what that stress does to the child, the parents and siblings.

The term “Little Troopers” was taken from doctors, nurses, and administrative staff at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) who had commented on how Kyle was “such a little trooper” to be able to go through all the painful surgeries he had and maintain a smile.