Funding campaign rebrands as Bowmanville Hospital expansion reaches critical stage

The campaign to raise $110 million as the community’s share of the massive redevelopment of the Bowmanville Hospital has hit another gear with new branding, including a revamped logo and a new campaign video.

The rebranded identity and fundraising campaign video was unveiled at the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation’s ‘Mission Possible’ gala earlier this month, debuting to applause from the attendees on hand to show their support to the campaign.

The Bowmanville Hospital Foundation’s new branding “underscore its commitment to inspiring exceptional giving, fostering a legacy of philanthropy, and ensuring that every donation directly impacts the health and well-being of the community,” said CEO Maria Petri.

“The unveiling of our campaign video and the launch of the rebrand at the gala was an unforgettable highlight of the evening,” Petri said. “The enthusiastic response from our guests reaffirmed the importance of this campaign and the role we all play in shaping the future of healthcare for our community. The video and the rebrand serves as a powerful call to action, inviting everyone to be part of this vital mission.”

Foundation executives hope the revitalized branding and accompanying can enhance donor relationships and raise the needed funds to support the redevelopment, expansion and equipment needs of the hospital.

“The rebrand and campaign video are a call for Clarington to join us in shaping the future of healthcare,” Marketing & Communications Manager Mathew Sylvestre said. “This is more than just a facelift; it’s an opportunity to energize our community and embrace the possibilities ahead with optimism and determination. Our campaign demonstrates the power of collective support, and this rebrand is a bold step toward achieving our shared goals.”

The ambitious expansion at the hospital will cost an estimated cost of $736 million, with the $110 million expected from the community the largest fundraising initiative in the foundation’s history.

The expansion will nearly double the size of the hospital and will include new ambulatory care clinics, a Haemodialysis Centre, a new Nephrology department, modern, patient-centred facilities including private and bariatric rooms, a new emergency department and a rooftop helipad to enable rapid access to emergency services and Level 3 Critical Care capacity, the highest level of care provided in hospitals for critically ill or injured patients.

The fundraising campaign, dubbed ‘We Care We Can,’ was launched in 2019 and was given a $2.5 million leg-up at the gala from Ontario Power Generation.

The campaign had raised $2.7 million in the fiscal year ending last April (plus another $1 million-plus from investment income) including a $1 million donation from the Vanhaverbake family and a $250,000 pledge from Delpark Homes.

Fundraising received a major boost in 2023 when the late Harry Locke, a former Bowmanville businessman and longtime standardbred racehorse owner, gifted the foundation $3.8 million – the largest planned private donation in the foundation’s history.

Clarington provided the hospital $7.5 million to date and the region, which included a dedicated levy of nearly $2 million in the 2022 budget, chipped in with more than $37 million in 2021. That year the Province – which gave a green light to the project in the 2019 budget – threw in another $2.5 million for planning.

Queen’s Park expedited the expansion three years ago by moving the project to Stage 2 in the planning process, which puts shovels in the ground by the fall 2025.

The official tender to find a team to lead the project, which will nearly double the size of the hospital, was issued in August. The Request for Proposal process, which should be complete by early 2025, will help identify project teams that have the necessary design expertise, along with the construction and financial capacity to undertake a project of this size.

As one of the fastest growing regions in Ontario, Durham Region’s population is expected to double by 2041.