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Betty Anne has also served volunteer terms on both the Hospital Board of Governors and the Foundation Board of Directors, including having played an instrumental role in raising the initial capital to establish the Foundation through a community fundraiser.

Like many in our community, Betty Anne also has a more personal connection to Joseph Brant Hospital. It was September 2012, as Betty Anne was sitting in the Family Room of the ICU, reality hit her with the recognition that her life was about to change forever. Her husband, Murray, was in the Intensive Care Unit and passed away three days later. For Betty Anne, supporting the Our New Era Campaign is a way to honour her husband.

“After donating The Quiet Room in the ICU in memory of Murray, I decided to donate The Family Room as well,” said Betty Anne. “This was a unique opportunity to donate in each of our names and have two adjoining rooms that will provide comfort to friends and families when their loved ones are ill.”

After Murray’s passing, Betty Anne began to think about how she could continue to support Joseph Brant Hospital after she is no longer here. It was at this time that she decided to leave a more meaningful gift in her will to benefit the Hospital. Betty Anne wanted to ensure that future generations will continue to receive the very best care, while remaining close to home.

“I have committed a Transformational Gift in my estate plans to our new Hospital,” she said. “I encourage others to consider a gift to the Our New Era Campaign. It is an investment in our Community for future generations. There is truly no other place a legacy gift will have such an impact on our entire city.”

Today, Betty Anne continues to volunteer her time to the Hospital. For the past six years, she has been coming to the Hospital for weekly pastoral care visits with patients and their families.

“I hear from so many patients who are filled with gratitude for the care they are receiving at Joseph Brant. Time and time again, I hear from these families that the staff at Joseph Brant Hospital are some of the most caring and respectful people. It is these individuals that help make the Hospital such a special place.”

For more information about making a legacy gift, please click here.

“Burlington is expanding, and now the hospital is expanding, too,” he said. “I’m excited to see we are getting a new hospital.”

For Dr. Chiu and his wife Katherine, their son Stephen’s passion for singing was their inspiration for an event in support of the Foundation. The Chiu’s hosted An Evening of Song at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre in October 2014.

The event featured Stephen performing songs from Les Misérables to Michael Bublé.

“I was so happy to get a chance to see him perform in tha setting,” said Dr. Chiu. “He really showed he’s a performer.”

The evening saw over 440 people come out, raising more than $20,000 for the Foundation. And while it was a lot of effort personally for Dr. Chiu, he was able to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing his son perform.

Dr. Chiu proudly displays a story about the event, and photos of his son on stage in his medical office on Guelph Line, but it was the feedback from those who attended which make him the most proud.

“Months later, I was approached in the parking lot of the bank, and someone told me they attended the event and wanted to say thank you, and tell me how impressed they were,” he said. “It made my day to hear that.”

For Dr. Chiu, supporting Joseph Brant Hospital was an easy decision, and a family affair and he encourages others to think about how they can support our local Hospital.

“We were quite happy to give a hand and help out to some degree,” he said. “It all starts with the thought ‘Maybe I can do something – it doesn’t have to be a big thing.”

For videos from An Evening of Song, visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/lovetosingforfun/videos

In the end, they chose Burlington and are glad they did.

“We love Burlington because it feels like a small town community, with top quality restaurants, and everything we need is within walking distance,” said Jim.

Being new to the area, the couple reached out to the Hospital Foundation for a tour of the Hospital. They were long-time supporters of the Hospital in Bev’s hometown of Barrie, and understand the role that Hospitals play in a community.

“I had a tour of the Hospital in Calgary, and thought it was a good way to get to know our new community,” said Bev. “We are all going to need the Hospital at some point in our lives, so we should support the Hospital in the community we live in.”

For Bev, that time came sooner than she was hoping as she broke her foot playing badminton. She was extremely grateful for the care she received both in the emergency department, and ongoing with the fracture clinic and is pleased to able to be walking more again.

In addition making a donation to the Foundation, Jim volunteers on the executive committee for the CAAAR! 3 on 3 Road Hockey Tournament.

“The number one reason I got involved was that I`ve always been interested in philanthropy,” said Jim. “And I have a connection to hockey, as I played when I was younger and so did my son.”

In the end, Jim and Bev believe that supporting the Hospital is an investment in their own future.

“We all need the Hospital,” said Bev. “The Hospital is going to be there for all of us.”

The Doering family supports the Maternal and Child Unit, having seen first-hand the quality care provided to parents and their newborns at one of the happiest and often overwhelming times in their lives.

“All of our families have in one way or another gone to Joseph Brant Hospital for care,” said Adam. “We need to make sure the Hospital has all the resources to give the community the best care possible.”

As lifelong Burlington residents, Adam & Christine believe that the incredible level of support for the Hospital is one of the things that make this community such a special place to live.

“We have been inspired by a number of people we know who have made wonderful contributions to the community. Excellent healthcare is very important to any community, and to us, supporting the Hospital is supporting Burlington.”

For Adam and Christine and their family, their support will have long lasting benefits.

“The investments we make in Joseph Brant Hospital today will ensure better care for us, and for our loved ones for years to come,” said Adam.