Stefano’s Stories: Celebrating generosity and building better futures

Each November, as the season of gratitude begins, I’m reminded how deeply generosity is woven into Manitoba’s spirit. That spirit shines through the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Manitoba Chapter’s National Philanthropy Day awards. These awards recognize those who give selflessly of their time, talent, and treasure – people who believe, as we do at the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, that healthier futures for kids begin with a single act of kindness.

I am incredibly proud to share we were awarded with two honours this year. The Better Futures Campaign Cabinet won the Outstanding Foundation category, and Janessa Dumas Colomb, our 2024 Champion Child won for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy.

These awards don’t just celebrate accomplishments – they tell stories about what’s possible when people come together for the children of Manitoba.

The Better Futures Campaign Cabinet brought an extraordinary vision to life. During one of the most uncertain times in recent memory, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, these volunteer leaders rallied our community around a bold idea. Every child in Manitoba deserves world-class care close to home.

Their determination led to the most successful donor-driven health campaign in our province’s history, raising an incredible $112 million for HSC Children’s Hospital.

That generosity built the Travis Price Children’s Heart Centre, a space that now serves 6,000 young heart patients every year. It funded life-saving equipment, expanded the emergency department, supported mental health play spaces, and strengthened pediatric research at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. It even laid the groundwork for a new Indigenous Community Healing Space – a safe, culturally informed place for families to gather and heal together.

What stands out most to me about this Campaign Cabinet is not just the total they raised, but how they did it – with compassion, collaboration, and respect. They shared their own stories of love, loss, and hope. They opened doors by listening and by inviting others to imagine a brighter future for kids who need care. They truly changed how fundraising for child health happens in Manitoba.

That same spirit of courage and generosity lives in Janessa Dumas Colomb, this year’s Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award recipient.

At just 15 Janessa has already faced and overcome more challenges than many adults do in a lifetime. Living in Pukatawagan, she was diagnosed with kidney disease as a young child and later received a kidney transplant, which she lovingly named “Bob”.

Janessa didn’t stop at survival. She turned her experience into purpose, becoming the first Champion Child from a remote northern First Nation.

Janessa shared her story with honesty and strength at hospital fundraisers and international conferences. She helped everyone listening to understand what care looks like when it requires travelling 800 kilometres for treatment.

Janessa raised awareness of healthcare inequities, inspired other youth to speak up, and helped guide donors toward projects that reflect her vision for better care, including a future nephrology centre of excellence and the Indigenous Community Healing Space.

Janessa is a voice for kids who are too often unheard. She is proof that leadership has nothing to do with age, and everything to do with heart.

As I reflect on these two remarkable honours, I feel immense pride – not just for the Foundation, but for our province. Manitoba is Canada’s most generous province with more people giving to charity per capita than anywhere else in the country. The AFP Manitoba Awards mirrors this generosity and reminds us that philanthropy is not about wealth. It’s about love. It’s about love for children we may never meet. It’s about love for community and love for hope itself.

This generosity shone ever so brightly at this year’s Ice Crystal Gala too, where donors gave a record-breaking $1.9 million to help revitalize the oncology and blood disorders unit at Children’s. I am humbled by the generosity of our community.

To every donor, volunteer, and advocate who has supported the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba – thank you. Together, we are building better futures for our kids, one generous act at a time.