Matching gift initiative results in $1.5M to Back the Build

Pictured at the Picton Harbour from left: Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation; Dennis Darby, Back the Build campaign co-chairperson, Dr. Cliff Rice, director on the PECMHF Board; Sally Cowan, a volunteer on the Back the Build Campaign Cabinet; John Jenah, president of the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation; Nancy Parks, Back the Build campaign co-chairperson and Barbara McConnell, PECMHF chairperson. Daniel Vaughan photo

Thanks to the generosity of donors, $500,000 has been raised through a matching gift incentive to help build a new hospital in Prince Edward County. And, it took less than three months.

This past summer the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation committed to making a 2:1 match for all new donations to Back the Build up to $500,000. Every gift made since June 18, 2021, has been matched – resulting in $1.5M for our new County hospital.

The fundraising initiative, set out to inspire community giving, saw more than 500 donor gifts qualify to receive the 2:1 match.

“We are incredibly thankful to our community members for their enthusiastic response to supporting this matching gift initiative,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “The donations given to help build our new hospital had three times the impact, thanks to the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation.”

“Every amount that was donated, big or small, helped PECMHF reach this incredible achievement,” said John Jenah, president of the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation. “It was clear from the start this community is incredibly supportive of their hospital. The donors that were inspired to give through the match have demonstrated just how much having a new hospital in Prince Edward County means to them. My dear friend Paul Helliwell would be so pleased to know his philanthropic legacy had such an impact in this community.”

In recognition of this 2:1 matching gift, the Dialysis Unit inside the new Quinte Health Care Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (QHC PECMH) will be named in honour of Paul B. Helliwell.

The Dialysis Unit located at QHC PECMH is part of the South East Regional Renal Program at Kingston Health Sciences Centre. This clinic provides dialysis treatment for County residents. Having a dialysis unit available in Picton means patients do not need to travel to Belleville or Kingston for this essential service.

The fulfillment of the matching gift incentive brings the hospital very close to reaching its Back the Build original fundraising goal.

“This significant pledge will be fulfilled over the next few years,” said Nancy Parks, Back the Build campaign co-chairperson. “We are nearing the end of this stage of our project and this matching gift has helped to keep the project moving forward. The generosity shown through the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation and the community members who contributed to the match has been absolutely extraordinary.”

Paul Helliwell was born in China to missionary parents who helped shape him into becoming the humanitarian and a true philanthropist, leaving the bulk of his estate to his foundation to help worthy causes – including many health care facilities such as Sick Kids, Humber River Hospital, and the Toronto General Hospital.

“Thanks to the generosity and financial support of the Paul B. Helliwell Foundation, everyone associated with this new hospital will benefit,” said Jenah. “It is my belief that when doctors, nurses, and staff are given the proper tools and proper environment as they will be in this case, they will invariably excel at their craft and care for the public. I believe that with higher quality premises and tools, not only will the quality of patient care increase but they will aid in attracting higher quality staff of all levels.”

Ground-breaking for the new QHC PECMH is expected to happen in 2024.

“It is amazing what can be accomplished when we work together,” said Coull. “Donors should never underestimate the impact they have. Every gift, no matter the size, gets us closer to our goal of having a new hospital in Prince Edward County and every donor brings our community closer together.”

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization whose mission is to raise money to advance health care for the patients of the hospitala and the people of Prince Edward County.