Message from the President & CEO
April 29, 2020
Over the last few weeks we have been overwhelmed by the community support for our hospital and for our front-line healthcare workers. I want to take a moment to say thank you to these amazing people who are putting our safety first. They work long hours and difficult shifts to look after the patients effected by this virus. While we are seeing positive signs, their work continues, as does the need to support them. We are truly grateful.
For that reason, I'm pleased to acknowledge that support from our community continues with a number of innovative and new initiatives.
We are participating in the global fundraising event called Giving Tuesday Now which will take place on May 5, 2020. Giving Tuesday Now is a day of giving and unity in response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. Thank you to Fairstone Financial Inc., who is generously matching all gifts up to $10,000 in support of our front-line staff through the Health Care Heroes Staff Assistance Fund. To learn more or to make a gift, click here.
I'm excited to announce that starting today, April 29, 2020, our partners at all 14 McDonald's locations across London are launching a unique and fun program. They are asking customers to consider donating $5 and in return they will receive a coffee or tea and a "Support our Heroes of Health" bumper sticker. All proceeds will support both the COVID-19 Response Fund and FEMAP (First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program at LHSC). Please support McDonald's and LHSC!
In keeping with safe distancing protocols, the annual Run for Ovarian Cancer is going virtual on Mother's Day weekend (May 8-10)! The 18th annual London Walk or Run for Ovarian Cancer research will kick off with a live-stream celebration hosted by Hilary and Mark from Easy 101.3 and is presented by Rogers Communications. Click here to register today to participate virtually or sponsor a participant! The Run for Ovarian Cancer is led by an amazing committee who have taken the initiative to transform this event to an online event. Thank you so much to our event organizers for this transition and their continuing efforts to raise funds for ovarian cancer research! Join the live-stream celebration on Friday, May 8 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. here.
On April 28, four Canadian Tire stores in London banded together to donate $30,000 to our foundation in support of our COVID-19 RESPONSE FUND. The stores made this significant contribution to support the front-line healthcare workers in their daily battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Tire Corporation said the decision was an easy one as they wanted to do whatever they can to help their community recover from this pandemic. Thank you so much to the local store owners and to Canadian Tire Corporation!
Thanks to this gift and hundreds more, we have raised over $650,000 to date for our front-line workers.
The battle continues so I would ask you, if you haven't already, to please consider supporting our COVID-19 Response Fund and to share this email with your friends, family and social media community.
Please visit our website to learn about all the ways of supporting our hospital, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates. Please visit the hospital's website for current information about COVID-19, how to protect yourself and your family.
In closing, I know that this has been a very stressful few weeks for all of us. Life is certainly not normal and likely will not be for a long time. Isolation from one another is not natural for us as human beings. With that said, the evidence suggests the sacrifices we are all making are working - we are flattening the curve. Thank you to each of you for your part in helping to keep us safe.
Together, we will get through this.
Regards,
John MacFarlane, BBA, LL.B, MPA
President & CEO
London Health Sciences Foundation