Putting donors in the spotlight after successful ‘Together, We Care’ campaign

“Every penny, every cent really counts and it all adds up to us exceeding our goals”.

It is a sign of gratitude … literally.

On Thursday, April 28th, members from the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, hospital officials and some donors gathered outside GGH to unveil a new billboard on display along Delhi Street.

The billboard is a response to the Together, We Care Campaign which saw nearly 10,000 individuals contribute to raising a total of $37,496,057.

As a way to thank the community, the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital created the billboard with the names of all donors who have contributed. Looking like a solid heart, but the heart is made out of thousands of names of donors.

“I thought it was really clever because together, tens of thousands of people have stepped up to generously support our We Care campaign,” said Julie Byczynski, CEO of the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital.

“This is really our outward sign of showing how together, this community has really stepped up in supporting its hospital and we are inviting people today to come out and see this.”

Melissa Skinner is vice-president of patient services and chief nursing executive at GGH. She said the proceeds from the campaign will be used to replace aging equipment, expand and modernize a special care nursery and expand the emergency department to include dedicated spaces for mental health and addictions care.

“Everybody, every penny, every cent really counts and it all adds up to use exceeding our goals,” said Skinner. 

Jean Morris and Frank Maguire are two campaign donors who also attended the event. Morris said she and her husband, Peter Morris, have been donating for over 30 years.

“Everybody uses it and everybody counts on it,” said Morris about their reason for donating. “All hospitals need money, why not donate?”

Maguire is also a long term donor of six years. He hopes the donation made by him and his wife, Jane Maguire, may inspire others to do the same. 

“The number of aging population that’s gonna be requiring this type of facility has grown in leaps and bounds,” said Maguire. 

An electronic version is also available on www.togetherwecare.ca/campaign-donors.