Annual Heritage Society Tea celebrates our visionary donors

On June 18, the Foundation hosted thirty members of the Heritage Society for the group’s 12^th annual tea. The event recognizes and celebrates the visionary commitment of those who will leave a gift in their will or through life insurance. The event is an opportunity for new and returning members to meet and mingle over coffee and tea, and to learn more about current happenings at the Hospital.

Guelph General Hospital President & CEO, Marianne Walker, and Foundation CEO, Suzanne Bone, welcomed the group and spoke about the future of Guelph General and how important donations from the community are to ensuring the Hospital has the best equipment to meet the challenges of our fast-growing community. Suzanne took a moment to remember those members who recently passed away. She shared that their legacy gifts helped the Hospital purchase a state-of-the-art mammography machine and specialized orthopaedics equipment – items that it would not otherwise have been able to purchase.

The guest speaker this year was Rebekah Larter, GGH’s Elder Life Specialist. Rebekah shared information about the Hospital’s Elder Life Program which helps keep people physically and cognitively active during their hospital stay. The group also learned about the Therapy Dog program offered at the Hospital and received a special visit from GGH volunteer Margarete Knauf, and her trained therapy dog Samantha.

If you are interested in making a difference to the future of health care in your community by leaving a bequest through your estate, or if you have already done so, please contact Matthew Peltomaki in confidence at 519-837-6422 or at [email protected]. For more information about the Heritage Society, visit www.gghfoundation.ca/giving-in-wills.

Did you know… gifts received in 2018 from those who made the Foundation a beneficiary in their will or through life insurance helped the Hospital purchase a state-of-the-art, low dose mammography machine that provides faster, more accurate imaging which reduces wait times for patients who need treatment. The Hospital was also able to purchase specialized orthopaedic surgical instruments to help care for patients undergoing hip and knee surgery. The Hospital would not have been able to purchase these two items without the generosity of our Heritage Society donors.