Frequently Asked Questions
Check most frequently asked questions here, if you still need help then please contact us at info@grhf.ca
50/50 Lottery
First take a look at your spam or sunk folders, as sometimes they end up there. Still can find them? Email 5050@grhf.ca or call Paul Amaral, our Director of Community Partnerships & Entertainment at 226-753-0458 and he'd be happy to help you.
Donations
Check out the page linked below:
A Gift in Your Will – Grand River Hospital Foundation
Or contact Deborah Barton, our Director of Philanthropy & Planned Giving at deborah@grhf.ca or call 226-753-0846, and she will be happy to assist you.
We are incredibly grateful for our community's support throughout the year and providing non-monetary gifts to our hospital ensures that our care providers can enhance our patient's experience.
See all the ways you can provide a non-monetary gift by clicking here.
Need further assistance?
Contact Jesse Borden, Hospital Experience Director at 226-750-2074 or info@grhf.ca.
Click here to start donating monthly, or contact Ashley Dobson, our Donor Success Manager at ashleyd@grhf.ca or 519-501-1408, and she will be happy to assist you.
You can contact Katie Hill, our Organization and Collaboration Manager at katie@grhf.ca or 519-580-7258.
1. Gifts of Care : In lieu of a physical gift, consider making a donation to one of our care areas through our "Gifts of Care" program which is designed to enhance patient experience this holiday season.
2. Gift cards : We are always in great need of gift cards to provide patients. Gifts cards are also easily sanitized and can be easily distributed to various care areas of the hospital.
3. New and Unopened Toys : We are able to accept small toy items. All items donated must be new and wrapped in original sealed packaging without any pieces or parts exposed to the outside environment.
4. Hygiene and Toiletry Supplies : These items support patients who have extended stays at the hospital to helping people who enter our emergency department and everything in-between.
5. Items we are unable to accept
At this time we cannot accept donations of soft items or items that we cannot safely sanitize, this includes:
- Novels or magazines
- Stuffed animals
- Homemade blankets or hats
- Items with exposed parts or pieces
If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a safe pick-up or drop-off of your gifts, please contact our Hospital Experience Director, Jesse Borden at jesse@grhf.ca or 226-750-2074.
Donations to the foundations or the new hospital building project
Money donated to both foundations will continue to support patient care areas as directed by donors; this will not change with the new foundation.
Donors can feel assured that their existing multi-year commitments will remain directed toward the care areas as previously requested.
We will also honour estate donations listed for individual areas of care. If you have questions about the specific details of your estate donation, please contact:
Grand River Hospital Foundation:
Ashley Howat, President & CEO - ashley@grhf.ca / 226-751-5847
Trevor Eaton, Director, Philanthropy & Corporate Partnerships - trevor@grhf.ca / 519-654-2134
Troy Murray, Director, Philanthropy - troy@grhf.ca / 519-575-5973
St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation
Susan Dusick, President & CEO - sdusick@supportstmarys.ca / 519-591-5872
Jaime Wilson, VP, Philanthropy - jwilson@supportstmarys.ca / 519-404-9583
Kourtney Parker, Director, Philanthropy – kparker@supportstmarys.ca / 548-255-5340
You can still donate to support areas of care and programs most meaningful to you.
Your donations today will ensure that exceptional care continues for the next ten years as we plan for a new hospital building.
Your current support and donations are not only necessary; they ensure we sustain a strong legacy of care well into the future. Whether it’s for cancer, cardiac, renal, pediatrics, emergency or respiratory care, your donations help invest in quality care today and build our Hospital’s capabilities.
Absolutely! Please contact us to discuss further.
Grand River Hospital Foundation:
Ashley Howat - ashley@grhf.ca / 226-751-5847
Trevor Eaton - trevor@grhf.ca / 519-654-2134
Troy Murray - troy@grhf.ca / 519-575-5973
St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation
Susan Dusick - sdusick@supportstmarys.ca / 519-591-5872
Jaime Wilson - jwilson@supportstmarys.ca / 519-404-9583
Kourtney Parker – kparker@supportstmarys.ca / 548-255-5340
Need assistance with a Store Order
Please contact Jesse Borden, our Fulfillment Manager & Donor Advocate at 226-750-2074 or info@grhf.ca and he will be happy to assist you
Please Contact Jesse Borden, our Fulfillment Manager & Donor Advocate at 226-750-2074 or info@grhf.ca and he will be happy to assist you.
Normally, order delivery takes 7-10 business days.
If you still have not received your order after 10 days, please contact Jesse Borden, our Fulfillment Manager & Donor Advocate at 226-750-2074 or info@grhf.ca and he will be happy to assist you
Planned Giving
Gift in Your Will
Leaving a gift in your Will is easier than you might think. It’s the most popular and easiest way to make a future gift. It has no effect on your current income and significantly reduces the taxes payable by your estate. Your gift can be a specific amount, stocks or securities, or a percentage of your estate.
Life Insurance
You can designate Grand River Hospital Foundation as a beneficiary or co-beneficiary on an existing life insurance policy and your estate will receive a tax credit. Or, transfer ownership of an existing life insurance policy over to us and receive a tax receipt for your annual premiums.
Retirement Plans (RRSPS/RRIFs)
You can designate Grand River Hospital Foundation as a beneficiary or co-beneficiary on your residual RRSPs and your estate will receive a tax credit. This is an excellent way to reduce taxes on your estate.
You want to leave a charitable gift in your Will to advance health care at Grand River Hospital. Taxes are likely the last thing on your mind. But you may be surprised to learn that Canada has some of the most generous tax incentives for charitable giving in the world. Once you make the decision to leave a gift to Grand River Hospital Foundation in your Will, speak to your financial advisor about how you can best take advantage of Canada’s generous incentives.
Your advisor can help you leave a gift in your Will. Important details to include are:
Our Legal Name: Grand River Hospital Foundation
Our Address: 835 King Street West, Kitchener, ON N2G 1G3
Our Charitable Business Number: 88918 0394 RR0001
Estimate your giving potential with appreciated assets such as stocks, mutual funds and RRSPs/RRIFs. The Grand River Hospital Foundation Giftabulator will walk you through the best ways to give with pretax dollars to optimize your end of the year tax savings. Visit the Giftabulator by clicking here to see the illustration of the benefits of your gift to the Grand River Hospital Foundation and read the disclaimer.
Plans for the hospital sites
Our hospital partners provide ongoing updates about their plans for the new hospital building project and the transition toward becoming a single hospital organization.
Visit the Building the Future of Care Together website for more information on:
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New hospital building project, including the planning underway and FAQs.
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Hospitals’ voluntary merger, including FAQs and what the planned merger means for the current Queen’s Blvd. (St. Mary’s) site.
You can email info@futureofcaretogether.ca if you want to personally share your questions or comments.
We’re looking forward to sharing more as we transition to the new foundation.
During this transition period, you will continue to see contact information and digital presence from both foundations. We’re in the process of integrating our services and information systems and aim to harmonize them in the coming months.
In the meantime, please connect with us if you have questions or comments.
Donations and general inquiries
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St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation 519-749-6797 Medical Centre 2, 435 The Boardwalk, Suite 300, Waterloo, ON, N2T 0C2 |
Existing foundation-led events, or to host a fundraiser
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Grand River Hospital Foundation |
St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation |
Q&A: Grand River Hospital Foundation and St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation voluntary merger
The hospital foundations at Grand River and St. Mary’s have voluntarily decided to merge.
The decision to merge is joint, led by the two foundation boards and supported by the St. Joseph’s Health System board, of which St. Mary’s is a member organization.
The foundations’ decision is aligned with a planned merger by Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital (announced in April 2024) to form a new, single hospital organization.
The goal is to begin operating as a new, single foundation in spring 2025, aligning with the hospitals’ merger plans.
Greater donor impact and positive patient outcomes are key factors prompting the foundations to join forces.
Data from the Region of Waterloo suggests the population could surpass one million by 2050. As the region grows and becomes more diverse, and as patient needs become more complex, an integrated approach to address healthcare needs is necessary.
Often, when a patient seeks hospital care, they are faced with multiple health conditions in different areas of care, whether it’s cancer, cardiac, thoracic, emergency, renal, pediatric or others.
One hospital foundation supporting a new, single hospital means better coordination and ability to steward donations toward integrated care areas, translating to improved patient care.
It also means greater capacity to raise funds for essential medical equipment and programs at the Hospital, leveraging expanded partnerships and the combined expertise and strengths of foundation staff at both organizations.
Together with our hospital partners, we’re bringing communities together to support one hospital system.
Prompted by the Hospitals’ voluntary merger decision in April 2024, the two foundations began discussing how they could partner together to support patient care for the new, single hospital organization while also maintaining support for the two Hospitals.
In December 2024, the foundation boards unanimously agreed to formally come together as one, single organization. The decision was informed by legal reviews, with regular engagements with the Hospitals and St. Joseph’s Health System, of which St. Mary’s is a member.
The foundations’ voluntary merger is aligned with the planned merger by Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital and is supported by the St. Joseph’s Health System.
The goal is to begin operating as a new, single foundation in spring 2025, aligning with the Hospitals’ merger plans.
Both foundations are actively working toward this transition, with ongoing consultations with the Hospitals and community partners.
As the foundation’s purpose is to raise funds to support the Hospitals, the name of the new foundation will build on the Hospitals’ forthcoming announcement of their new name.
The future space of the new foundation will be determined in the months to come.
We will consider the uses and capacity of current foundation offices (914 King St. West and Medical Centre 2, 435 The Boardwalk, Suite 300 and onsite locations at the Hospitals).
Regardless of where the new foundation is located, our goal is to always ensure donors and community members can easily connect with us in person, by phone or online.
SY Road Hockey
Yes! We place teams in appropriate level games
No but you will get the chance to see them all at some point throughout the event.
You can see the official rules and regulations through our partner HockeyFest by clicking here.
Youth Teams: Age 5 to 18
Adult - age 19+
6 players + goalie for each team.
Youth divisions are 6 teams per division.
Adults are currently 15 teams per division.
HockeyFest reserves the right to combine divisions based on team registration numbers, if necessary.
If you are looking to sponsor the event please email syhockey@grhf.ca.
Yes registration for volunteering the day of the event will open up soon.
Kitchener-Waterloo offers a wide range and options for accomodations. The closest hotel to the SY Hockey location would be the Delta Hotels by Marriott Waterloo located at 110 Erb St. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 0C6.
Yes. Each additional player registration is $50. If required please contact syhockey@grhf.ca with your team name and number of players you are looking to add. We will send you a separate invoice to pay.
Schedule to talk with a team member
We are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. However we are always happy to assist you whenever fits you best.
Contact any of our staff directly or drop us an email with your availability at info@grhf.ca or call 519-749-4205 and our team will be happy to assist you at the earliest.
Scotland's Yard
Scotland’s Yard is a community initiative focused on augmenting care closer to home for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. Inspired by Scotland, a young cancer survivor, a group of dedicated friends and neighbours are working to raise $50 million in support of Grand River Hospital projects that will help children, and their families, get more care locally.
Scotland (Scottie) Santos is 5 years old and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at just three months of age. She is one of over 200 children in our community currently undergoing cancer care. In addition to receiving care at Grand River Hospital, these children and their families regularly travel to other communities for specialized treatment or testing. The group behind Scotland’s Yard envisions more and more of that treatment or testing happening here at home, lessening the burden on families. It’s a long-term vision, but a necessary one to support the kids on their cancer journey.
Tax receipts & Payments
First take a look at your Spam or Junk folders.
Check for the Email subject line: Grand River Hospital Foundation Donation Receipt.
If you still cannot find it, please contact Jesse Borden, Fulfillment Manager & Donor Advocate at 226-750-2074 or info@grhf.ca for support .
Note: If company name is added entered in the Billing Address fields on the payment screen, the tax receipt will be issued to the company.
Contact Jesse Borden, our Fulfillment Manager & Donor Advocate at 226-750-2074 or info@grhf.ca and he will be happy to assist you
The transition to the new, single hospital foundation
We’re in the process of integrating our services and programs, working alongside our hospital partners to help shape the new foundation.
As part of that work, we’re also actively reviewing our signature and community events to ensure that we continue to offer meaningful ways for you to engage with us and directly support the different areas of care at the Hospitals.
It’s important for donors and supporters to understand our plans; that’s why we’re taking the time to consult individuals, groups and organizations to convey our intentions and approach to come together as one organization.
Over the years, we’ve enjoyed many partnerships and have collaborated with many community members to support local healthcare. It’s our honour to work with you to drive impact, and it’s what we do best.
We look forward to continuing this spirit of collaboration as we shape the new foundation.
Recruitment for the CEO of the new foundation will commence in the coming months, led by the board of the new foundation. This board will include existing board members at both foundations and community members.
Volunteer with the Foundation
You can learn more about our volunteer program or apply to become a volunteer by clicking here. You can also contact our Volunteer Engagement Directors, Kelly Kuehl at kelly@grhf.ca and Karen Petznick at karen@grhf.ca, and they would be happy to assist you.
Apply to volunteer by fillinf out the application form at https://grhf.ca/pages/volunteer, and we will get back with you shortly.