monthly donor

A Heart for Healthcare: How One Retired Nurse Makes a Monthly Impact 

For more than 35 years, Kathleen Gignac dedicated her career to nursing. First on the surgical floor and later in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Orillia, Kathleen loved caring for the tiniest of patients and supporting new parents, especially mothers. It was more than a job to her; it was a calling. 

Now retired and living just five minutes from Georgian Bay General Hospital, Kathleen hasn’t lost her passion for care. In fact, she’s found a new way to support local families and patients by becoming a Monthly Donor to the GBGH Foundation. 

Kathleen and her husband Roger, a fellow healthcare worker turned local real estate agent, know firsthand how essential it is to have access to quality care close to home. When Roger needed emergency support after a procedure, the team at GBGH — including Dr. McNamara and the ICU staff — provided compassionate, expert care that left a lasting impression. 

That experience, combined with Kathleen’s deep understanding of the healthcare system, inspired her to start giving monthly. 

“I’ve seen how healthcare is evolving,” she shares. “If we don’t support our hospital with the equipment and resources it needs, we won’t be able to keep up. It’s not just about the hospital, it’s about our whole community.” 

As a nurse, Kathleen knows that critical equipment like MRI technology, surgical tools, and even patient beds aren’t funded by the government. They rely on donations. And monthly gifts, in any amount, add up to real impact. 

Thanks to donors like Kathleen, GBGH can offer more timely scans, shorter wait times, and care that’s closer to home.

“You don’t have to drive to Barrie or Newmarket at 4 a.m. anymore,” she says. “That means more time with your family, less stress, and better outcomes.” 

From her love for the GBGH Gift Shop to her excitement about Giving Tuesday and the Foundation’s Impact Market, Kathleen is a true advocate for supporting local. Her message is simple: give what you can, when you can. 

“Every dollar matters. Supporting our hospital means investing in the future of care, right here in our own backyard.”