A Tribute to Canada's Veterans
More than a dozen corporate sponsors and community leaders step up to support a big upgrade for the living environments of Veterans residing at Parkwood Institute
Last year St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation was unable to host its annual Tribute Dinner event due to the lingering impacts of COVID-19. Tribute is a marquee event that typically attracts a sold-out audience throughout its decades-long history. It also helps raise critical funds to advance patient care, teaching and medical research at St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
In the spirit of partnership, corporate sponsors immediately expressed a desire to continue their support in place of the event. This led to the creation of a new fundraising effort, A Tribute to Our Veterans, to upgrade the living environments of each Veteran’s room.
Parkwood Institute is home to nearly 100 long-term care residents in the Veterans Care Program. Most Veterans are elderly, having served in World War II, Korea or both wars. When moving into Parkwood, residents are matched with the care unit best suited for their unique physical, emotional and social needs. This space quickly becomes their new home—where they eat, sleep and enjoy themselves. It’s essential that each resident feels comfortable in their new environment, so it’s important to make it feel like a home.
Gifts in lieu of Tribute enabled the Foundation to upgrade the living environments of every Veteran who makes their home at Parkwood Institute. Each room now has a built-in wardrobe with designs and features that are sturdy, safe and spacious for residents to store their belongings. These units feature bright lighting on each shelf, extra power sources, modern finishes like wood and marble, easy-to-grasp handles and adjustable shelving sizes. It’s a big step up from the older units, which were badly in need of an upgrade.
“Everything I own is in my wardrobe,” says Jim, a resident of the Veterans Care Program. “The new ones are great because they have better drawers and it’s a lot easier for me to reach the things I need. We appreciate what the donors have given us.”
St. Joseph’s is pleased to recognize the many corporate partners and community leaders who stepped up in 2022 to support the vital upgrades to the living environments of Veterans. Your generosity and steadfast commitment to the care and comfort of Canada’s brave men and women will make life more enjoyable for those in our care.