CIBC President & CEO Victor G. Dodig and Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan to lead St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation's $70 million Campaign

Two Torontonians remember their west-end roots and make a promise to help their community health centre

TORONTO, March 30, 2016 /CNW/ - CIBC President & CEO Victor G. Dodig and Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan will co-chair a $70 million campaign called Promise to support St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto's west-end community. Dodig and Shanahan are natives of Toronto's west-end and wanted to help their health centre take care of the over 500,000 people who rely on St. Joseph's for care.

The $70 million campaign will modernize and build better spaces for patients, purchase new equipment and technology, and create specialized areas for care to meet the specific health needs of the community. These improvements will help keep our promise to continue to find new ways to meet our patients' needs and be there for them when they need us.    

Dodig says his parents settled in Toronto's west-end as newcomers more than 50 years ago. "St. Joseph's has served my family well over the years, and I want to ensure they will continue to provide the same level of care to the west-end community for years to come," he says. "I was born at St. Joseph's, my brother was born there, and my father received care there. I am proud to be co-chairing the Promise Campaign because I'm passionate about St. Joe's and its commitment to make our west-end community one of the healthiest in Canada."

"St. Joseph's has always been there for my family and the whole community with compassionate care above and beyond the ordinary," says Shanahan. "Being part of the Promise Campaign is an opportunity to improve the lives of people I grew up with. I really wanted to help."

Maria Dyck, President & CEO, St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation, says this is the first campaign for St. Joseph's Health Centre in more than 15 years. "We are honoured to have Victor Dodig and Brendan Shanahan leading the Promise Campaign. "Patients, families and the community come for care and give back to St. Joseph's because our staff and physicians provide high-quality care with dignity, respect and great compassion. Victor and Brendan saw being part of this campaign as an opportunity to give back to a hospital that has been part of their lives in a way that supports the community they love."

The $70 million Promise Campaign will transform care at St. Joseph's over the next five years and ensure we continue to live the mission of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph. This campaign will deliver on the Health Centre's strategic plan to make this community one of the healthiest in Canada. "Our physicians, staff and volunteers have been keeping a promise to this community for almost 100 years," said Elizabeth Buller, President & CEO, St. Joseph's Health Centre. "For the majority of us, all the care we'll ever need is delivered by our community hospital. This is why the campaign is so important – it's about keeping our community the healthiest it can be. To do that, we need the help of all our residents, and it's a testament to our mission that we have Victor Dodig and Brendan Shanahan leading our Promise Campaign."

St. Joseph's Health Centre is a Catholic community teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto that has served the communities of west Toronto and beyond since its founding by the Sisters of St. Joseph nearly a century ago. Empowered by the dedication of our staff, physicians, students and volunteers, and emboldened through strong partnerships and the input of local residents, St. Joseph's is committed to achieving its vision of advancing the health of our community by being Canada's best community teaching health centre. For more information on St. Joseph's Health Centre, visit www.stjoestoronto.ca  and for details on the Promise Campaign, go to www.supportstjoes.ca. 

SOURCE St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation

Janet Gunn, Director, Communications & Marketing, St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation, 416-451-2594, [email protected]