Heartfelt Thanks from the GBGH Foundation

With each passing day of this pandemic, I find myself feeling more proud to be part of the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) family and more connected to our generous community. Each and every member of the GBGH team is working tirelessly on the frontlines of this pandemic, showing up with a smile and going above and beyond to ensure that our hospital is safe, clean and prepared for whatever this pandemic throws our way.  I am proud of the teamwork, quick action and selflessness that our staff are demonstrating. Our essential services workers across all industries are working diligently to protect & maintain the health and safety of our community, which helps ensure our hospital is available for those who need it most.  I am honoured to be in this together with all of you and even though it’s difficult, I see our community striving to keep each other safe by staying home, physically distancing and finding unique ways to stay connected. At a time when our local businesses are under significant strain and facing a whole new reality, they are changing their business models and finding new ways to support the hospital.  Through donations of personal protective equipment (PPE), beverages, meals and snacks, our local businesses are showing how much they care about our community. It fills me with pride to know that not even a global pandemic is standing in the way of their generosity. We have seen local photographers come together to bring The Front Steps Project to our region, working collaboratively to provide families with incredible portraits and raise more than $5,000 for our hospital’s fight to tackle COVID-19.  This has fostered an amazing tapestry of photos across social media, and it brings me such joy to see smiling faces despite difficult circumstances. Our Foundation is faced with some very difficult decisions as we move forward.  We are unsure about the possibility of hosting events this year, and are keenly aware of the drastic changes some of you have experienced these past months.  We took a leap of faith and mailed our recent appeal letter, and I am overwhelmed with the amazing response we have received. I am proud to share that our hospital has been strategic and intentional during the preparedness planning for COVID-19.  With more than half a million invested in equipment and technology over the past month, we can rest assured that these are vital pieces of equipment for the hospital and will be used to replace their aging counterparts once the pandemic stabilizes. For everyone who joined in for Giving Tuesday Now on May 5, thank you for your kindness.  Thanks to the incredible generosity shown by more than 85 businesses & individuals, and The Hubers for their matched gift of $30,000, our #GivingTuesdayNow campaign raised $79,397 to buy new beds for GBGH. I have witnessed an incredible uprising of support, encouragement and gratitude in our community, as everyone steps up to give what they can to help our hospital and community in the fight against COVID-19.  At a time when it can be hard to give, you are digging deep and giving back, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and awe at your generosity. 

Thank you for giving us all so much to be proud of,