Couple donate $1M to hospital foundations

A Winnipeg couple have donated $1 million to two hospital foundations.
Philanthropists Bob and Heather Williams, of real estate company Swancoat Investments, have donated $600,000 to the Health Sciences Centre Foundation's Operation Excellence campaign, which focuses on tech investments and facility upgrades. The couple has also given $400,000 to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba's Better Futures campaign, which funds infrastructure improvements, programming and pediatric research.
'Heather and I have always been inspired by philanthropy and volunteering. We're lucky and excited to be able to donate this money to foundations that make a difference for so many people,' Bob Williams said in a release Wednesday.
SUPPLIED
'We know that the government can't do it all, but these foundations, who are on the front line, know how to make a positive difference in our health care.'
The Williams' first donation to HSC Foundation was in 2007. Bob is a member of the Bannatyne Legacy Circle, a group of donors who include a gift to the foundation in their estate after they die.
Heather, a former nurse, was the past president of the Children's Hospital Guild of Manitoba and volunteers at Nearly New, a volunteer-run thrift store that donates all of its proceeds to the Children's Hospital.
'It's truly humbling to see how philanthropy can create change in our health-care system,' Stefano Grande, CEO of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, said in the release.
Jonathon Lyon, CEO of the HSC Foundation, said it is 'incredibly grateful' for the couple's support.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca

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