This text is part of the special Philanthropy section
“Think big” This is the theme of the historic fundraising campaign of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation, the general public component of which was launched a few weeks ago. The children’s hospital hopes to raise $500 million by 2028, to strengthen its impact on their lives and, ultimately, on society as a whole.
The objective is more than ambitious: it is the largest sum ever announced for a single hospital center in Quebec, recognizes the CEO of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation, Delphine Brodeur. But the reason is simple: “the needs are great,” she explains.
“We are a tertiary and quaternary center, so we serve the population, from across Quebec, with the most specific pediatric health needs. And we know it: science is evolving at a breakneck pace, so we must respond to offer the best possible care to children. »
And so far, donors seem to be there since the Foundation has already raised more than half of its campaign objective, says Mme Brodeur, who adds that she and her team are “very touched by the collective mobilization towards Sainte-Justine”.
To mark the launch of its general public phase, the Foundation launched an advertisement at the end of September in which the true story of little Juliette is skillfully told, in animation.
“Juliette had repeated epileptic seizures, due to a brain tumor,” explains Delphine Brodeur. Thanks to a pediatric neurosurgical laser that we acquired — a device of which we were the first purchasers in Canada — 24 hours after her operation, she was in remission. The mother said she had found her daughter. »
The funds raised by the Foundation — for care as well as for teaching and research — make this type of innovation possible.
“We fund a lot of research,” explains M.me Embroiderer. It’s a bit of a chicken wire… We must have demonstrated the relevance of our research to seek other funds. And, often, the leverage effect of the dollar invested in philanthropy is such that it is subsequently worth four to ten times the initial value. »
The strength of the family network
In the advertising, which notably highlights the little girl’s grandmother, emphasis is also placed on the importance of the family network around the child.
“The parent and the family unit are really taken into account in the entire patient-partner approach and in the approach to supporting the child,” explains the CEO. Obviously, the parent is often the one who knows his or her best. child, so we need hyper-precise information to adopt the most appropriate approach possible for each person. »
The humanization of care is at the heart of the “Think Big” campaign, as is innovation. We are banking on “phenomenal advances” in precision health to provide the right care to each child, explains Delphine Brodeur.
“We often say “from your genetic code to your postal code,” she adds. We truly treat the child in his uniqueness, physical and genetic, but also by taking into account his ecosystem, by working with the actors of the environment in which he lives. »
Another important pillar of the campaign: the sustainable health approach. The CEO cites as an example the change in the management of the food supply to patients. Rather than offering meals at a fixed time, it is now the patient who decides what he wants to eat and at what time, which represents both winning conditions for the child’s remission and for the reduction food waste.
Obviously, philanthropy does not replace public funds, specifies M.me Brodeur, but it allows us to go further and be the engine of innovation.
“Something important is happening in Quebec,” she adds. Quebec philanthropy is younger than that of our neighbors in English Canada or the United States. It’s a philanthropy that is spreading its wings, and it’s magnificent, because we need this social and economic pillar more than ever. »
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