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Avtar Kambo came to Canada in 1994 with a degree in mathematics and a strong work ethic. Within ten years, he had established Kamtech Industries Incorporated. And for the past sixteen years, he has operated the successful small business from a beautiful rural location on the city’s eastern edge. The company offers custom fabrications that include metal work for a wide variety of industrial, commercial, and residential developments. Think specialty railings, fencing, and metal platforms, and you have an idea of the complex products that Kamtech handles.

But it’s not all business for Avtar. He believes in giving back to the country and community that have helped him thrive. He has supported Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton for more than twenty years and he was instrumental in raising funds for the new Sikh temple on Clair Road. Every year, Avtar and his wife Manpreet support the local food bank with three different drives: one in April, one at Thanksgiving, and one to celebrate the birthday of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev Ji in November.

So, when the Kambos decided to support The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s $34 million Together, We Care campaign through the ‘Name a Room’ program, it was very much in keeping with their solid philanthropic convictions. Like many people, Avtar and Manpreet didn’t realize, until quite recently, that every piece of patient care equipment at Guelph General Hospital is funded by community donations. Avtar says that when he saw a poster in the Hospital elevator explaining the importance of community fundraising, he was moved to reach out to the Foundation.

“Everybody who can afford it should donate to ensure that we have a strong Hospital, better technology, and more services,” commented Avtar. We’re not getting any younger. As we age, we’ll definitely need the Hospital in one way or another and we’ll want to have the best facility and equipment available.”

To get the ball rolling, the Kambos spoke to Foundation CEO Suzanne Bone, who helped them decide what would be the best vehicle for their gift. The Name A Room program was chosen, offering the Kambos a lasting legacy—a specific room named in honour of their contribution. Today, a patient room in one of the Hospital’s medical units proudly bears a plaque thanking Kamtech Industries for their generosity.

The Name A Room program is a great way for you, your family or your business to support Guelph General Hospital and help ensure we have the best health care right here in our community. There are many great naming opportunities available at different giving levels, starting with a commitment of $25,000. Your gift can be pledged over multiple years and your generosity will be recognized with a plaque in your name placed in the area of your choice in the hospital.

For more information on how you can support Together, We Care and name a room at Guelph General, visit togetherwecare.ca/name-a-room, or contact the Foundation at 519-837-6422. Foundation staff would be pleased to assist you with the terms of your donation to make your gift attainable.

Today Guelph General Hospital is celebrating a generous gift of $250,000 from The Co-operators to support better mental health and addictions care at the hospital. The donation supports the creation of The Co-operators Short Stay Assessment Unit, which will see emergency mental health care capacity increase by 50 per cent.

“In our organization we strive to improve awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness and make our own workplace a conduit of good mental health for our staff and our communities,” says Rob Wesseling, President and CEO, The Co-operators. “Through the creation of The Co-operators Short Stay Assessment Unit at Guelph General Hospital we want to ensure that the Emergency Department has the space to provide dignity and the resources to ensure the care for anyone in our community when they need it most.”

The gift will support Together, We Care, the Foundation’s most urgent community fundraising project ever, of which Rob Wesseling is the current volunteer co-chair. In addition to increasing emergency mental health care capacity by 50 per cent, The Co-operators Short Stay Assessment Unit will improve wait times, access to care, privacy and dignity for patients and their families.

The generous donation was welcomed by hospital President and CEO, Marianne Walker. “We are extremely grateful to The Co-operators for their commitment to better mental health services in our community.” She explained “The number of patients coming to us for care related to mental health and addictions issues is increasing. With donor support we will relocate mental health and addictions care services within the Hospital and increase capacity in our short-stay assessment unit by 50 per cent. And we’ll be able to have adjacent space for community services, meaning more timely and coordinated care for those in crisis.”

This project and a related expansion of the Emergency Department are in the planning stages of the Ministry of Health’s capital approval process. Currently, the hospital team is working on the third step of the process which is a detailed look at programs and services, including a review of equipment, staff and space requirements.

The Co-operators made their first gift to support Guelph General Hospital almost 35 years ago. Since that time they have made 87 gifts totaling more than $650,000 to help the Hospital provide high quality care and experience to patients and families.

“We are incredibly grateful to be announcing this gift today,” commented The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s CEO Suzanne Bone. “The Co-operators is a philanthropic leader in our community and we are blessed by their support of Guelph General Hospital, our campaign, and this important project.”

Today Guelph General Hospital is celebrating a generous gift of $100,000 from Jay Elinesky and Tom Schuett of Elinesky Schuett Private Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities. The gift supports the Together, We Care campaign which helps with the Hospital’s most urgent and essential needs.

“Generosity is a cornerstone of the holiday season and we are incredibly grateful to be announcing this gift today,” commented The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital’s CEO Suzanne Bone. “This gift will help purchase equipment that will lead to more precise diagnosis, faster treatment, and improved outcomes for our patients.”

The gift from Elinesky Schuett Private Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities will support the $34 million Together, We Care campaign, the Foundation’s most urgent community fundraising project ever. The goal of the campaign is to fund the expansion of both the Emergency Department and Special Care Nursery as well as investing in new patient care equipment and technology.

“Through my volunteer work on the Foundation board, I learned that government funding only covers operating costs, and that all equipment used in patient care must come from community donations,” said Jay Elinesky, Vice President and Portfolio Manager. “We believe in the Foundation’s motto that a strong community makes a hospital greater, and a great hospital makes a community stronger.”

“We are honoured to make this gift toward the campaign to help purchase new equipment and technology for Guelph General Hospital,” said Tom Schuett, Vice President and Portfolio Manager. “As many others in our community have, my family, friends and colleagues have benefitted from the care provided at Guelph General. It’s an important cause as it is here for everyone in our community.”

The generous donation was welcomed by hospital President and CEO, Marianne Walker. “We are extremely grateful to have philanthropic leaders in our community like Jay and Tom and the team at Elinesky Schuett Private Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities. Gifts like this enable us to purchase the equipment and technology that helps us save lives and improve health.”

“Community donations make an incredible difference to the care we are able to provide at Guelph General Hospital. Donors fund every piece of patient care equipment we purchase. They are the tools our caregivers need to provide comfort and caring, healing and curing to our community,” commented Suzanne. “We are so thankful to Elinesky Schuett Private Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities for their generosity. Their gift is already making and will continue to make a remarkable difference.”

Linamar Corporation and the Hasenfratz, Newton and Stoddart Families make history with the largest ever donation in Guelph in support of health care

History was made in Guelph today with news of an unprecedented donation from the community in support of healthcare delivery. Linamar Corporation along with the Hasenfratz, Newton and Stoddart families are donating $5,000,000 to Guelph General Hospital in support of the Hospital’s most urgent and essential equipment needs, leading to more precise diagnosis, faster treatment, improved outcomes, experience and patient flow. Never before has the Hospital received such a large donation.

Linda Hasenfratz, Linamar Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer along with Jim Jarrell, Linamar Corporation’s President and COO, presented the extraordinary $5,000,000 gift to Jeff Watson, Chair, The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital and Dale Mills, Chair, Guelph General Hospital.

“The services Guelph General Hospital provides to our employees and our community are invaluable. Together, Linamar and my family want to support the great work the Hospital does and build on it through our joint $5,000,000 gift,” said Linda Hasenfratz. “Our hospital critically needs the support of the community given that all patient equipment must be funded privately in Ontario. That means for Guelph to have the best, most modern equipment to enhance the delivery of health care we all have to pitch in. We have one of the best, most effective and most efficient hospitals in the entire province; the investments they are making today will just make them even better!”

The $5,000,000 gift will help Guelph General Hospital invest in essential, innovative technologies and solutions that enable the best hospital care and experience for patients and their families. Examples include specialized infant warmers in each of its Labour and Delivery rooms, a centralized cardiac monitoring system, ‘smart’ patient beds and enhancements to our electronic health record.

In recognition of this extraordinary gift, the Hospital will name “The Margaret Hasenfratz Women’s and Children’s Health Care Centre” and “The Linamar Paediatrics Unit.”

“We are incredibly thankful to have such a generous family living in our community,” said Jeff Watson, Board Chair, The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital. “The extended Hasenfratz family’s commitment continues to elevate healthcare for Guelph. It is with great respect and gratitude that I say, on behalf of the Foundation, as well as Guelph residents and patients who will benefit every time they enter our Hospital…Thank You!”

Speaking to the families and Linamar executives, Marianne Walker, President and CEO of Guelph General Hospital, said “What an absolutely incredible gift. We have an amazing team at Guelph General, and this will help give them the equipment they need to save lives and improve health. Your contribution will transform patient care and experience at Guelph General Hospital for the better, now and in the future, and we are so thankful.”

“The support exemplified by Linamar and the Hasenfratz, Newton and Stoddart families is truly inspiring,” said Suzanne Bone, CEO, The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital. “Their commitment to our Hospital and leadership within the community are demonstrated once again through their decision to make this very generous gift to support our Hospital. It is a wonderful example of philanthropy at its very best and we are privileged to honour the company and the families.”

Not all essential hospital costs are covered by government funding and local communities are expected to contribute. One of every two dollars spent on all equipment at Guelph General Hospital comes from a caring community donor and when it comes to equipment used in direct patient care, almost every single dollar comes from a donor.

In addition to their inspiring gifts of time, Guelph General Hospital’s volunteers have made an inspiring financial gift of $250,000 in support of the Hospital’s most urgent and essential equipment needs. This is the largest pledge made by the Hospital’s Volunteer Association and brings their total giving to over $1.7 million over more than 30 years.

“We are thrilled to announce this generous financial commitment from our volunteers, who give so unselfishly of their time and compassion,” said Foundation CEO Suzanne Bone.  “This gift will help purchase equipment that will lead to more precise diagnosis, faster treatment, and improved outcomes for our patients.”

The gift was celebrated at the Hospital’s annual lunch in recognition of National Volunteer Week. Close to 300 volunteers provide support in over 25 different areas of the Hospital, contributing over 15,000 hours of their time each year.

“The Association has a strong tradition of giving, not just with their time but financially as well,” said Laura Hutchings, Director of Volunteer Resources, Student Registration & Spiritual Care at Guelph General Hospital. “I know they are so pleased to be able to support the important work of the Hospital through their retail operations and other fundraising efforts.”

Funds raised by the GGHVA last year enabled the Hospital to purchase an electrocardiogram machine, a bladder scanner, a vein finder, and a ureterscope.

Today Guelph General Hospital is celebrating a remarkable gift of $2 million from long-time Hospital supporters John and Barbara Wood. The gift supports the Hospital’s most urgent and essential equipment needs, including the recently arrived CT scanner.

John and Barbara Wood have been donors for more than 30 years through the W. C. Wood Company, W. C. Wood Foundation and personally.

“We feel fortunate to be in a position to make this gift,” said John Wood. “Our hospital is a very worthwhile cause in our community and we know our gift will help make Guelph a better place to live.”

In recognition of their gift, the Hospital’s main lobby has been renamed in their honour.

The generous donation was welcomed by hospital President and CEO, Marianne Walker. “When I first learned of the extraordinary generosity of John and Barbara Wood, I was incredibly moved,” said Marianne. “This gift is important in so many ways. The funds will not only help our amazing staff, midwives and physicians provide quality, patient-centred care, but we hope it will also serve as a source of inspiration for others. For all of this, we are deeply grateful.”

Helping to raise money for the Hospital is something Suzanne Bone, the Foundation’s CEO, has been doing for a long time. She’s seen firsthand the impact it has.

“Donors make an incredible difference to the care we are able to provide at Guelph General Hospital, because they fund virtually every piece of patient care equipment we purchase…the tools our caregivers need to provide comfort and caring, healing and curing to our community,” commented Suzanne. “So to say we’re thankful to John and Barb is such an understatement. Their gift is already making and will continue to make a remarkable difference.”

Today, we are celebrating a remarkable gift of $500,000 from Jim and Sandra Jarrell and family. The gift supports the Hospital’s most urgent and essential equipment needs.

“It is fitting that we announce this gift today,” commented Foundation CEO Suzanne Bone, “because November 15 is National Philanthropy Day, a day to celebrate the extraordinary change that fundraising and philanthropy have helped to create in our world.”

Supporting Guelph General Hospital with a legacy donation was an easy decision for Jim and Sandra, and their children Jess and Ryan, who were both born at GGH. Over the years the family has relied on the hospital team many times for surgeries, emergency visits, tests and scans. Through Jim’s volunteer work on the Hospital Foundation board, he learned first-hand the importance of local support to run a first-class hospital.

“Government funding deals with operating costs, however, donors support the key equipment to diagnose, treat and care for patients,” says Jim. “Also, new technologies in hospital care usually come from community donations.” The family, which has grown to include Jess’s husband Zack and Ryan’s fiancée Marisa, all believe supporting their community is important, and “what better place to give help to others than our local hospital?” says Jim.

The generous donation was welcomed by hospital President and CEO, Marianne Walker. “We are extremely grateful to have such generous supporters in our community. Gifts like this enable us to purchase the equipment and technology that helps us save lives and improve health. We are grateful to the Jarrell Family for helping us provide the highest quality care and experience to our patients.”

“Fundraising and philanthropy make an incredible difference to the care we are able to provide at Guelph General Hospital. Donors fund every piece of patient care equipment we purchase…the tools our caregivers need to provide comfort and caring, healing and curing to our community,” commented Suzanne. “So to say we’re thankful to the Jarrells is an understatement. Their gift is already making and will continue to make a remarkable difference.”