Angel donor issues $100,000 matching gift challenge

Providence Manor resident, Doreen, and staff member, Kelsey

The University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) is pleased to announce an extraordinary gift opportunity in support of Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) and Providence Care.

“From now, until the end of March, we have an Angel Donor who has chosen to rally the community around healthcare through a matching gift challenge of up to $100,000,” says Nicole Pierce, Director of Leadership Philanthropy for the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF), “Every dollar raised in this Matching Gift Campaign will double its impact.”

All donations will align with the donor’s wishes and be shared between KHSC and Providence Care, supporting four key areas: Emergency Department, Surgical Suites, Seniors Mental Health and the redevelopment of the Providence Manor long-term care home.

Pierce says the gift is made by a long-time healthcare supporter who has chosen to make a big impact with a recent inheritance while also honouring the legacy of “a remarkable Kingstonian who was a grateful patient and tireless community advocate.”

A statement from the donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, has this to say of the man whose bequest inspired this community call to action:

“Like many depression-era children, he remembered a time when there was no healthcare. He was grateful for the changes that had come and never hesitated to challenge others to be grateful, too. Having lived and worked in Kingston for over 60 years, he had a great love for all of our healthcare facilities and personnel. When he was 21 he nearly died but benefited from a life-saving surgery. From that time on, though, he needed healthcare. By the end of his life, he had been a patient at every hospital in this community.

In spite of his suffering, he always trusted our hospitals. He knew the needs, too, and never backed away from a challenge. If there was a cause to support he’d say ‘We can do it. We’re the community! It’s up to us. It’s our responsibility.’ This one gift—that will hopefully result in many more gifts—honours the boundless spirit of compassion with which he lived his life.”

Today our healthcare providers must meet the needs of an aging population, address the rise in chronic disease, make the best investments in rapidly-changing technology, all while building 21^st century facilities that will be our community’s new legacy.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to UHKF’s Community Matching Challenge is invited to visit uhkf.ca.  Any gifts received by March 31^st will be doubled in value.

UHKF is grateful to our Angel Donor and to the many thousands of healthcare supporters in our community and surrounding area who have chosen to be part of the bold vision for the next stage of healthcare transformation in Kingston.