You & WRHN Foundation. Together.

Together,
we're making extraordinary things happen at WRHN

Over the past year, thousands of people gave in ways that were meaningful to them. Together, that support strengthened the care WRHN is known for and helped make it even better, from emergency and cardiac care to cancer treatment and beyond. Some gave through a workplace campaign, some through a monthly gift, some by hosting a fundraiser of their own.

Every effort, large or small, moved together in the same direction to impact patient care in profound ways.

Transforming care with a bedside swallow test

Foundation events: the power of showing up

The power of showing up

WRHN Foundation’s signature and community events do more than raise dollars. When you show up to play road hockey, at a gala table, or decked out in red ready to walk, you help build the health network your community counts on and keep care close to home. There’s power in showing up together. Neighbours become champions, businesses become partners, and families become advocates for local healthcare.

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Signature, community and third party WRHN Foundation events

Signature event: GREATEST GIFT GALA

The Greatest Gift Gala raises $294,300 to advance patient care

In the fall of 2025, supporters, sponsors and volunteers came together at our Greatest Gift Gala, raising $294,300 to advance patient care across WRHN.

As one of our signature events, the Gala, inspired by the Greatest Showman, offered a unique and elevated experience, bringing our community together for an unforgettable evening in support of local healthcare.

Signature event

Scotland’s Yard Road Hockey Classic

Over the last five years, players, pros, WRHN team members, patients, families, and neighbours, have participated in the Scotland’s Yard Road Hockey Classic for the same reason: keeping kids' care close to home.

Our community raised $286,000 through the fifth annual Scotland's Yard Road Hockey Classic in July 2026, bringing its five-year impact to more than $1.3 million in support of children's care.

Every dollar raised at the first four tournaments supported bringing a Positron Emission Tomography (PET CT) to WRHN. The PET CT scanner will show care teams how disease is behaving inside the body, not just where it is. This can mean clearer answers, better treatment plans, and one less trip an hour or more away for healthcare services.

The fifth annual Scotland’s Yard supported a new pediatric echocardiogram, an ultrasound machine that lets doctors see a child's heart clearly, without needles, radiation, or pain. WRHN’s pediatric cardiac clinic opened in 2024 with one echocardiogram. A second allows the clinic to keep up with demand, ensuring tests happen sooner, treatment starts faster, and families skip the trips out of the region.

You & WRHN Foundation. Together.

She Shares Women's Giving Circle

What began with five women in 2017 has blossomed into a philanthropic force of more than 100 members today. And the impact of WRHN Foundation’s She Shares Giving Circle continues to grow with each passing year, funding the often overlooked medical equipment our patients need.

In 2025, She Shares membership fees funded a cystoscopy procedure bed and two electrocardiogram (ECG) carts at WRHN. The equipment packages totalled $120,000 – bringing She Shares’ lifetime funding impact to more than $530,000.

She Shares members

funded since 2018

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She Shares Member / Patient Spotlight

From donor to patient: How care at WRHN sparked a new appreciation for community generosity

When Connie Deckert learned her heart valve needed to be replaced, her family doctor offered a choice: the cardiac centre in London, or the one in Kitchener. Both were the same distance from her Stratford home. For Connie, an original member of the She Shares Women's Giving Circle, it wasn't a decision at all. She chose WRHN, and found herself receiving care from the very kind of equipment she'd spent years helping fund.

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Foundation events: the power of showing up

The $519K Wish Book matching gift

The matching gift that made wishes come true for WRHN

2,060 donors

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2,060 donors

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Volunteer Associations play a vital role in supporting WRHN and our community by helping fund essential equipment and programs through the Tim Horton’s franchises, gift shops, and other fundraising initiatives at WRHN sites.

In 2025, the Grand River Hospital Volunteer Association (GRHVA) took their philanthropy further, pledging a $519,000 donation match – their largest single gift to date – as part of WRHN Foundation’s Wish Book holiday campaign.

The match inspired our community to give generously, doubling support for greatest needs across the health network. In total, 2,060 donors stepped forward to match the gift, and the Wish Book campaign raised $1.5 million as a result.

The commitment of the volunteer association is a powerful reminder that healthcare is strengthened through partnership – with volunteers, donors, hospital teams and our community each playing a role in strengthening care. Through decades of service and generosity, WRHN’s volunteer associations continue to help bring leading care closer to home.

She Shares Women's Giving Circle

Community engagement: WRHN Connect

Real Connections. Real Learning. Real Impact.

Started in 2026, WRHN Connect is a unique giving group that rallies young professionals around healthcare at Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN). Together, they make meaningful opportunities to connect, contribute, and create impact.

WRHN Connect members enjoy networking opportunities, educational programming, and social events throughout the year.

The $519K Wish Book matching gift

RedDAY presented by Manulife

Signature event

RedDAY presented by Manulife

RedDAY brings our community together around prevention and healthier lives.

By supporting the PREVENT Clinic with the Waterloo Regional Health Network, we're helping more people take action earlier — protecting heart health and supporting longevity across every stage of life.

Jessica Weisner

Head of Marketing for Individual Insurance, Manulife Canada

Our community celebrated a monumental RedDAY this past June – raising a record of nearly $505,000, including $200,000 from Manulife’s donation match, in support of preventative cardiac care at WRHN.

WRHN’s PREVENT Clinic, powered by Manulife, saves lives before a heart event strikes, by giving those at higher risk of developing heart disease tools and resources to mitigate their risk factors. The unique program shifts the focus from reactive care to preventative care – helping people stay healthier, longer, and giving them more ownership over their health.