Story Posted: 2019-01-30
$20M Campaign to Build Saskatoon's First Hospice Has Impressive Start With $6M Anonymous Donation
(January 30, 2019 - Saskatoon) – St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation launched its new Close to Home Campaign for Hospice and End-of-life Care today.
“We are absolutely thrilled to present this campaign to our community,” said Gene Dupuis, the campaign’s Honourary Co-Chair. “We can do so much more to meet the needs of the dying and their families.”
“Our community has been pursuing this project for years and the time for action is now,” says Jean Morrison, President and CEO of Emmanuel Health and St. Paul’s Hospital. “With the Close to Home campaign, we will create Saskatchewan’s first free-standing residential hospice and set the standard for quality hospice care in Saskatoon. We hope this hospice will be the inspiration for other communities to consider what they can do to address the needs of people who have life-limiting illnesses.”
Gene and Adele Dupuis are the Honourary Co-Chairs of the $20M fundraising campaign, alongside Campaign Co-Chairs Todd Rosenberg and Dr. Vivian Walker.
“People facing end-of-life require a specific approach to their care,” said Dr. Vivian Walker, who is also Co-Medical Director of Palliative Care Services in Saskatoon. “Saskatoon is the only city of its size in Canada that does not have a free-standing residential hospice.”
In a moving testimony at the event, Gord Engel, a patient living with cancer explained that quality hospice care is not only important for those facing end-of-life, but also for their families: “…because everyone wants the best for their family”.
At the event, the Engel family revealed an impressive $6M gift from an anonymous donor - the largest single donation made to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation in its history and a strong foundational start for the campaign.
St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation CEO Bruce Acton says they have already raised $14.5 million towards their $20M goal. “We are grateful for the tremendous support we have received and hope it will serve as an inspiration for others to consider their gift to the Close to Home campaign.”
