Message from the HDGH Foundation
There's a moment sometimes in a quiet hospital room, sometimes in the middle of a busy hallway when a person realizes they are not alone. That moment doesn't happen by accident. It happens because of you.
Because of you, 2025 was a year we will not forget. Together, through the Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) Foundation, the Windsor-Essex community raised $1.6 million in support of HDGH Programs and Services, the most successful fundraising year in the history of the HDGH Foundation. That number is remarkable. But what moves us most is what it represents: thousands of individual decisions to show up for a neighbour, a stranger, a loved one who needed care.
Grateful Patient donations nearly doubled this year. We think about that a lot. It means people who came to us in vulnerable moments left feeling cared for and then turned around and gave something back. That kind of trust is not earned easily, and we don't take it lightly.
This was also the strongest year for Legacy Giving in more than a decade. Donors are choosing to write HDGH into their wills, their plans, their lasting wishes, supporting more patients and clients well into the future.
Finally, 2025 saw Annual Giving rise by 59%, reflecting a growing community of people who believe that good healthcare, close to home, is worth investing in year after year.
None of this happens without real people making real choices. Our donors, volunteers, sponsors, community partners, staff, and Board of Directors each brought something irreplaceable to this work. We are grateful for every one of them.
To everyone who gave, whether it was your first gift or your fiftieth, we thank you. You are a big part of the reason healing happens at HDGH. The HDGH Foundation is honoured to carry your commitment forward, together.
As I close this letter and wrap up another tremendous year of fundraising and changing lives, I do so with a full heart and full career. It has been my honour to be the Executive Director of the HDGH Foundation and to watch not only my team, but our entire community flourish and work so hard to support HDGH through the Foundation.
As I step back into a supportive role until my official retirement in November 2026, I would like to introduce Heather Parisé as interim Executive Director of the HDGH Foundation. Heather is no stranger to our Foundation community, having been a part of HDGH since 2011.
I couldn’t be more proud of the success of the Foundation over the last few years and know that together, that momentum will continue, ensuring that even more lives are changed because of each of you. Thank you.
Barb Sebben
Executive Director, HDGH Foundation and Academic and Volunteer Placements