Stefano’s Stories: We couldn’t have done it without you

It’s been another amazing year, thanks to the community of support for kids who rely on HSC Children’s Hospital and benefit from leading-edge work done at our research institute.

The medical teams at Children’s, and investigators at Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM) are world-class in their fields and we are so grateful they’re always there for kids and families.

Through the support of donors like you, the Foundation’s Better Futures campaign that started in 2019 – the largest donor-driven child health fundraising campaign in Manitoba’s history – surpassed its $75 million goal! With an additional $25M support from the Manitoba Government last Fall, the campaign closed at $112 million!

I want to personally say thank you to our Better Futures co-chairs, Nancy and Kirsten, leading donors like Barb and Gerry Price, the campaign cabinet, the Foundation Board, and each and every supporter for committing to giving kids and families better futures.

There is so much to celebrate. This campaign was a transformative initiative and is already making huge impacts in child health care and research in our province and beyond.

Thanks to donor support of Better Futures, the leading-edge research at Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba ensures kids continue to get the best data-driven care, treatments, medications, and more. Through your donations, we continue supporting life-changing pediatric research projects like DREAM (Diabetes Research Envisioned and Accomplished in Manitoba) and ADORE (Autism Database and Outcomes Registry), among many others.

Inside HSC Children’s, life-saving tools are now ready for healthcare teams to continue providing the best care possible, including Babyleo incubators, child-sized surgical tools, ultrasound machines, pediatric wheelchairs, and hoyer lifts.

Plus, the thousands of kids receiving treatment and care can use innovative programming that’s both therapeutic and fun! Vital programs like the Therapeutic Gaming and Technology Support Program directly benefit young patients and their families by providing much needed comfort and distraction.

Each year, more than 600 youth are admitted to the Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit for acute mental health issues. Thanks to your support, they now have access to indoor and outdoor play spaces while receiving the care they need.

As the first Champion from a remote First Nations community, Janessa became a powerful voice for over 140,000 kids who rely on HSC Children’s Hospital every year. It’s for kids like Janessa that we’re supporting the development of the Indigenous Community Healing Space.

This resource is needed for Indigenous patients and their families because it provides a culturally safe place when they’re away from their home communities.

Consultations and other meetings took place with First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and other Indigenous community members as well as leaders in our medical community to develop this much needed space for Indigenous kids and their families. Additional fundraising is still needed but demolition of the current space will begin in Fall 2025.

We’re grateful for our Children’s Miracle Network and the generous support from Costco, DQ, Walmart and many, many others. Along with the Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations, these partnerships collectively raised over $1.9 million for Manitoba’s only children’s hospital.

Proceeds from thousands of gently used books sold at Children’s Hospital Book Market helps fund innovative programming for kids at HSC Children’s Hospital. The popular events are made possible thanks to more than 300 volunteers working year-round who collect and organize donated books.

Last year, the Book Markets raised a combined, page-turning total of $551,273!

The dedicated volunteers of Children’s Hospital Guild of Manitoba continued their great work hosting events and running the Nearly New Shop. On top of this, along with Bell MTS retirees, they sew clothes and costumes for Dr. Goodbear stuffies. We are deeply thankful for their ongoing time and effort in raising $125,000.

Let’s not forget the return of the Teddy Bears’ Picnic! The Manitoba tradition was held on Sept. 8, 2024 and gave kids a chance to learn what happens in a hospital or research setting so they can feel more comfortable getting the care they need when they need it. It was made possible thanks to over 1,000 volunteers who saw people enjoy activities and entertainment with over 1,500 teddy bear patients treated at the Dr. Goodbear Clinic. Thanks to the generous community support, $261,527 was raised!

Let’s make anything possible is our motto and thanks to unwavering support of this community of donors, partners and volunteers – better futures for kids with health conditions are becoming possible. Let’s keep the momentum so we can transform the future of child health for generations to come.

Read the full 2024/25 annual gratitude report at goodbear.ca/gratitudereport.