A local CEO is challenging the community of Collingwood to support the local hospice, and he’s putting company money behind the challenge.
For the month of November, all donations up to a total of $10,000 made to Hospice Georgian Triangle Foundation, will be matched by Crozier Consulting Engineers.
The company founder and CEO, Chris Crozier is hoping the matching incentive will encourage the community to support a service he learned firsthand can be exactly the thing needed during a difficult time.
Approximately a year-and-a-half ago, Crozier’s father-in-law went into Campbell House for end of life care. Crozier himself was at Royal Victoria Hospital receiving chemotherapy treatment and was away from his wife Lisa during the week her father was dying.
“That particular week was also terrible weather in Collingwood with a massive blizzard … the roads were impassable,” recalled Crozier.
His wife, Lisa, slept and ate at Campbell House that week, staying near her father for his final days. Crozier was only able to speak to his wife on the phone, but was unable to be there. He said he didn’t know what his wife would have done during that difficult time without help from Hospice Georgian Triangle.
“The people at Hospice were so supportive,” said Crozier. “They were so compassionate … and we haven’t forgotten about it.”
Since Crozier announced the $10,000 matching donation, another Collingwood-based company, Seeley and Arnill Construction, has added their own $10,000 matching grant. So if individuals from the Collingwood community donate $20,000, every dollar will be doubled by the two company donations.
Sandra Sullivan, the executive director for the Georgian Triangle Hospice Foundation said donations like these help immensely, and are actually required for the hospice annual operating budget.
The hospice programs are only 50 per cent funded by the government, and Sullivan and her team must raise $1.55 million in donations to meet the operating costs for Hospice Georgian Triangle.
“We appreciate community partners … without them, we wouldn’t be able to meet our goals,” said Sullivan.
She noted stories like Crozier’s are common among donors. In fact, it was her own experience with a hospice in another town that first introduced her to the service, in which she now works.
“My mother died in hospice … but I didn’t even know what hospice was before that experience,” said Sullivan. “I realized for the first time that it was a warm, welcoming, loving environment where my mom was going to be comfortable for her last days.”
Hospice Georgian Triangle provides end-of-life care for patients at home and at Campbell House in Collingwood, serving the communities of the Town of the Blue Mountains, Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, and Clearview Township. Their services also include care programs for families, youth, children, and support for caregivers. All programs are provided at no cost to the patient or their families.
The hospice expanded its services and physical space this year with a second location at 186 Hurontario Street. The new space houses the hospice community support team, palliative pain and symptom management clinic, and the hospice foundation.
The community support team provides grief and bereavement services, runs support groups, and facilitates education on the importance of palliative care to support a healthy community.
The palliative pain and symptom management clinic aims to reach people earlier in their diagnosis to help prevent unnecessary crisis or emergency room visits.
The Georgian Triangle Hospice Foundation is the charity formed to collect donations and raise funds for the continued operation of Hospice Georgian Triangle and its services.
“We often say that hospice is for the living, it’s not just about the dying,” said Sullivan. “That means supporting the families and caregivers who are also part of this hospice experience.”
For more information on donating to Hospice Georgian Triangle, visit the website at hospicegeorgiantriangle.com, or call Sullivan at 705-444-2555, ext 7532.
The Crozier and Seeley & Arnill matching donations applies to donations made between Nov. 1 and 30.
