Your Impact

Ask the farming Heeman family about their giving philosophy and the response is fittingly down to earth – both literally and figuratively. “The community is a lot like a plant – if you nurture it, invest in it and care for it, it will thrive and prosper,” says Will Heeman. Sitting around the table...

Ann and her husband Peter got to know the care providers at the St. Joseph’s very well when their daughter Alice was admitted for inpatient mental health care. The care team kept the family well informed about her progress with constant updates. “They were fabulous,” Ann says. “They always took my calls and would say to me every time, ‘do not give up hope’.”

“I never expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer – not just once but twice.” Krista Wilde has been on a physical and emotional rollercoaster since late 2021 when she first found a lump in her breast. A single mom, with no history of breast cancer in her family, she was terrified. “One day you...

Don and Wendy Smith know a thing or two about comforting people through difficult times. As owner and president of Smith’s Funeral Homes, Don has spent his career helping families navigate grief and caring for them as they say goodbye to a loved one. He has also been on the receiving end of care...

Dr. Serena Wong sees the need for increased funding to mental health care every day. As a clinical psychologist, she cares for adults of all ages – providing one-to-one therapy, as well as group therapy for in- and out-patients. And she’s worried about the growing need for mental health care...

Dr. Fatemah Alali says that the expanded emergency care treatment space and new equipment in the Ivey Eye Institute is a game changer. “It has changed the way we work and improved our approach to care,” says the fourth-year physician resident. With donor support, the Ivey Eye Institute recently...

“I wouldn’t be walking today if it wasn’t for the staff at Parkwood,” says Lynda Vanderaa, who was initially left paralyzed in both legs following a car accident. It was the summer of 2008 when a car that Lynda was travelling in hit some gravel and went off the road. She spent two weeks in hospital...

“It’s really a cool piece of equipment,” says Stephanie Cornell, physiotherapist and Coordinator in St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Program, of the new functional electric stimulation (FES) bike. For people with partial or complete paralysis or loss of function of their muscles as a result of a stroke...

Rob Kelland knows firsthand that it takes a village to make a difference. As a Portfolio Manager and founder of the Kelland Portfolio Management Group at ScotiaMcLeod, Rob leads a team of 18 associates and staff who together manage one of the largest asset bases at ScotiaMcLeod across Canada. The...