MONTREAL, May 11, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - As the Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids Campaign comes to a close, the entire Shriners community extends a huge thank-you to its exceptional donors. The Campaign raised an extraordinary $130,650,327, exceeding the goal of $130 million. The funds supported the construction of the new Shriners Hospital for Children® – Canada, which opened on October 5, 2015, and the Francis Glorieux Chair in Pediatric Musculoskeletal Research.
"Our goal was not only attained but surpassed thanks to the outstanding leadership of our Imperial Potentate Jerry G. Gantt alongside Richard J. and Carolyn E. Renaud, Peter Letko and Deborah Josephson, M.D., our National Campaign Co-Chairs," says Mr. Gino Berretta, Chairman of the hospital's Board of Governors. "None of this could have been accomplished without the dedication and support of all the business and Shriner volunteers who actively shared our goal to raise funds. Today, we can celebrate the realization of our new "dream" hospital thanks to the overwhelming generosity of over 6,000 donors!"
"Over the past little while, people have been thanking us for volunteering to chair the Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids Campaign. While it has been an honour to lead this historic five-year initiative, our time as Co-Chairs has shown us that the success of the campaign has been a true collective effort," says Richard Renaud. "Thanks to every single donor, we were able to construct this beautifully designed and spacious hospital and acquire top-notch medical equipment. Our donors enabled us to open a state-of-the-art research centre which will accelerate discoveries in musculoskeletal disorders. Thanks to all of them, children and families from across Canada, parts of the United States and around the world have access to cutting-edge paediatric orthopedic care."
"Our new hospital is a beautiful and functional building, one that we can be so proud of within our network of hospitals," says Dale W. Stauss, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Shriners Hospitals for Children. "I wish to congratulate our volunteer corporate leaders and staff members who have led the Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids Campaign to successful fruition.
History of the Exceptional Care for Excetional Kids Campaign
The five-year Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids Campaign began in 2011 and launched publically on May 13, 2014. It was the first-ever capital campaign undertaken by the Canada Shriners Hospital and the most successful campaign every undertaken by the network of 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children, which are located in Canada, United States and Mexico.
"With our children and their families in mind, we created a warm and welcoming hospital," says Imperial Potentate Jerry G. Gantt. "The building itself is beautiful, each floor designed to reflect a different region of Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Great North; each floor is designed to be a place of healing, a haven for the children and families who turn to us for care. But it is much more than a building. It is a place where researchers work side by side with clinicians to find the cause of bone disorders and endeavor to find better treatments and new cures. It is a place where we will offer new state-of-the-art services such as movement analysis and pediatric simulation training. A place where we will focus on improving the lives of the children we treat, the care they receive and the training we provide to up-and-coming healthcare professionals."
The construction of the new hospital began in April 2013. The new building is almost three times larger than the former hospital, which was located on Cedar Avenue in Montreal. The new Shriners Hospital for Children – Canada features a range of new services and technologies including 22 single-patient rooms, four surgical suites including one designed specifically for back surgery and a 200-seat education centre to enhance the hospital's teaching mission.
Numerous events helped raise funds for the new hospital
Events are part of the success of any fundraising campaign and the Canada Shriners Hospital benefitted from the dedication of many individuals, families and groups who organized walks, dinners and even ran a lemonade stand in support of the campaign.
There were also a number of major hospital fundraising events such as the Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada Annual Golf Tournament organized by Gino Berretta, Benito Migliorati, Robin Burns, and Michel Poirier. In October last year, Joey and Carmie Saputo were the honorary co-presidents of the dazzling One and Only Ball. And on May 10, National Co-Chairs Richard J. Renaud and Peter Letko made their stand-up comedy debut at the Humour Me Montreal /Fais-moi rire Montréal fundraiser, an event founded by Mr. David Goodman.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children®- Canada
Established in Montreal in 1925, The Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada is the only Canadian establishment within the network of 22 Shriners Hospitals, the others located in the U.S. and Mexico. The bilingual, short-term, acute care hospital provides ultra-specialized orthopaedic care to children from coast to coast, the U.S. and around the world. The mission of the hospital is to promote health and provide treatment and rehabilitation to infants, children and young adults with orthopaedic and neuromuscular problems such as scoliosis, brittle bone disease, club feet, hip dysplasia, leg length discrepancies and cerebral palsy. The hospital is committed to excellence and innovation in clinical practice, research and education and to ensuring patients and their families are treated in a caring, family-friendly environment. The hospital is affiliated with McGill University and provides clinical experience and teaching for residents and allied professionals. The hospital is present in communities across Canada thanks to telemedicine, outreach clinics and two satellite clinics located in Winnipeg and Halifax. Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada has been helping kids reach their full potential for 90 years and counting.
Note to media: for B-Roll go to Vimeo – password sh15:
First patients:
https://vimeo.com/141497299
Hospital floors :
https://vimeo.com/139741391
SOURCE Shriners Hospitals For Children
Image with caption: "Gino Berretta, C.O. (C) Chairman of the Board of Governors (CNW Group/Shriners Hospitals For Children)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160511_C6855_PHOTO_EN_688596.jpg
Image with caption: "Imperial Potentate Jerry G. Gantt, President of the Board of Directors Shriners Hosptals for Children (CNW Group/Shriners Hospitals For Children)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160511_C6855_PHOTO_EN_688598.jpg
Image with caption: "Carter Brown, Campaign Ambassador from Milestone, Saskatchewan (CNW Group/Shriners Hospitals For Children)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160511_C6855_PHOTO_EN_688600.jpg
Image with caption: "Alyssa Brown, Campaign Ambassador from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (CNW Group/Shriners Hospitals For Children)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160511_C6855_PHOTO_EN_688602.jpg
Lisa Dutton, [email protected], 514-264-6514; Emmanuelle Rondeau, Communications & Marketing Manager Shriners Hospitals for Children - Canada, [email protected], 514-282-6990
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