At a time when physical distancing has become necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, people are finding new ways to come together while apart. Sunnybrook is deeply grateful to our donor community for their generosity in the face of adversity.

Community answers call to donate masks and other personal protective equipment

Sunnybrook needs the proper equipment to keep our patients and front-line workers safe. That’s why we issued a plea to the community to donate unused and unopened masks, gowns and eye protection to those who need it most. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

Community group raises funds to bring ventilator to Sunnybrook

On March 20, Jerry Jin, a member of the Bayview-York Mills Chinese Community (BYCC), reached out to his network of friends and neighbours to raise funds to help Sunnybrook care for patients recently admitted with COVID-19. Their response was immediate.

BYCC came together via a popular messaging app and within a few texts to the group, they had raised an impressive $71,866 in 48 hours. Their gift will support the purchase of an advanced portable ventilator that will help treat critically ill patients with COVID-19 at Sunnybrook. 

This generous gift is a perfect example
of what is possible when
people unite around a common goal.

$1-million investment made to establish research group dedicated to fighting COVID-19

In March 2020, Sunnybrook researchers isolated the agent responsible for the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. By isolating the virus, researchers can now develop better diagnostic testing, treatments and vaccines, and gain increased understanding of how the virus is spread.

A Sunnybrook donor saw an opportunity to give this research a major boost at a critical time. QuestCap Inc. has made a $1-million investment to establish the Sunnybrook Translational Research Group for Emerging and Respiratory Viruses (SERV). Dedicated funds for SERV means Sunnybrook will be able to accelerate the pace of our research with the goal of understanding the virus, preventing its transmission and better treating it.

Donors step up and match funds pledged for COVID-19 research and care

Sunnybrook’s COVID-19 response efforts have received a tremendous boost thanks to the generosity of donors.

The Nanji Family Foundation and The E. & G. Odette Foundation each pledged $100,000 to match community donations to Sunnybrook’s COVID-19 research and care. The Sunnybrook community responded swiftly and generously, with 1,200 donors from across the GTA, Ontario and Canada contributing a remarkable $209,000.

Three more donors have since stepped up with matches of their own. The Liu Fu Yu Charity Foundation and Don and Nita Reed Family Foundation each pledged $100,000, while eBay Canada matched gifts between $10-$100 made via its Gifts That Give Back program to Sunnybrook from the end of April through the month May. Proceeds from all three matches have supported Sunnybrook’s COVID-19 research.

In the ongoing fight against COVID-19, donor funds are essential. Your gifts provide the hospital with the ability to direct resources
to where they’re needed most.

iPads purchased to connect patients in hospital with loved ones

Finding new ways to keep patients connected has been essential as Ontario hospitals — including Sunnybrook — took the necessary step of restricting visitors.

Toronto-based corporate law firm Wildeboer Dellelce LLP and the WD Group of Companies stepped up by creating a special initiative to bring iPads and tablets to patients receiving care at Sunnybrook. Now hospitalized patients can communicate “face-to-face” over video with loved ones. Each iPad and tablet will have a waterproof cover that will be cleaned and sterilized between uses.

A social worker in Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Program was able to connect one of her patients with his spouse using an iPad so they could celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary. The couple was thrilled to be able to see each other on the screen. This kind act was made possible through the generosity of a group of donors who saw a need and came together to help.

From our heroes to you

At Sunnybrook, our health-care workers truly are heroes. So is everyone who steps up to support them. Sunnybrook Foundation is deeply grateful to our community for banding together in so many meaningful ways through such challenging times. We’ve received over 1000 messages of support for our heros. Each one has been shared and these messages continue to provide inspiration to our front line teams.
Share your message of support.

Together is how we’re going to win.