Julianne Fleming

What you give, you get back. It’s a common experience among The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s community of supporters.

Julianne’s husband was already quite ill when they moved to Guelph and her life was entirely devoted to caring for him.

“I was his full-time caregiver,” says Julianne. “We moved to Guelph specifically to be close to a Hospital, I had no one to lean on.”

At the time of her husband’s passing, he was in the care of GGH’s medical and nursing team. Julianne recalls the exceptional care he received, but was surprised by the exceptional care she too received.

“I was exhausted after many years of looking after my husband and years of interrupted sleep night after night. The hospital caregivers noticed my condition and showed genuine concern for my well-being,” Julianne says. “One evening I was encouraged to go home to sleep. A nurse took the time to call me a cab and walk me to the door to ensure I was ok.”

After her husband had passed, Julianne found that volunteering was a great way for her to build connections and make new friends within the community. One volunteer opportunity lead to another and Julianne’s network of friends and colleagues began to grow. Her path finally crossed with some others who worked at The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital. Julianne was offered an opportunity to be part of the Foundation’s Communications Committee.  And that’s not all. She is also one of the first donors in our Circle of Life program, and is part of the Circle of Life Advisory Committee.

Julianne was motivated to give back to the Hospital for the great care she and her husband had received. So, it was an easy decision for her to accept the invitation to get involved.

Julianne has given so much of her time and energy to the Foundation and other organizations throughout the community. In return, her life has been enriched with new friendships and experiences. In particular, Julianne loves that her connections have broken age-barriers such that many of her new friends are much younger. She enjoys their youthful energy and being a mentor to the next generation of community contributors.

What Julianne enjoys specifically about her involvement with the Foundation is that it gives her a sense of caring for the community.

Julianne encourages others to get involved. “If you can do a little bit, it helps to provide better patient care for the benefit of everyone in our community.”