Current Campaigns

What Matters Most - 2025 Holiday Appeal

Having grown up here, moved away for 20 years, and returned to raise his family, Jeff Todd values community. He supports that sentiment as a hockey coach, as a volunteer on the RMH Foundation board of directors, and by giving to the WE ARE THE ROSS campaign.

“Just as you trust your colleagues and teammates, you trust your community. I see the Hospital as a centre for that trust. We all count on Ross Memorial to care for us when we need it most. And to show our gratitude, we give back when the hospital needs us,” said Jeff Todd. “In my finance consulting role, I see how technology helps organizations be more efficient and productive. The same is true at the Ross. Modern systems advance the quality and efficiency of our health care, enabling caregivers to provide more face time with patients. From finance to farming to physicians, we all need the right tools to do our best work.”

The WE ARE THE ROSS capital campaign is a community effort to raise $25 million to ensure patients in Kawartha Lakes can access the best care close to home. Through his letter, Jeff asks an important question: will you make a donation to the campaign and help our hospital meet the evolving patient care needs of our growing community?

“As the community grows, what matters most at the Ross remains the same,” said Erin Coons, RMH Foundation CEO. “When we need care, we expect our local hospital to be equipped and prepared to help us through every kind of challenge. But government funding doesn’t cover the cost of all of the hospital’s equipment and technology. We do that together with every donation. Please support our holiday appeal with a gift that matters to everyone.

View or download the 2025 Holiday Appeal letter

Make an Online Donation

Somebody's Hero - 2025 Spring Appeal

You can be Somebody’s Hero with support for Ross Memorial

Donations to Spring Appeal fund growing services and spaces, including ED and ICU

Jennifer Chipp-Smith’s calling to help others as a nurse came to her as a child. Her family’s experience caring for her older sister who suffered from an evolving genetic disorder exposed Jennifer to the care providers at Ross Memorial Hospital. The impression they made on her inspired her nursing career.

Today, Jennifer is the Director responsible for our community’s critical care services, including the expansion of the Emergency Department (ED). The need for emergency services is projected to increase by 30% in the next 20 years. Plans include a new contemporary trauma room with airborne isolation capacity, as well as a Mental Health Emergency Services Unit, where patients in crisis will have access to 24/7 care in a safer and more private area within the ED. 

“As a director, a nurse, a mother and wife, and a sister — I know how important it is for people to access timely care, in the right environment, close to home,” said Jennifer Chipp-Smith. “This exciting expansion is one of several significant investments underway at the Ross — projects that cannot happen without community support. Donors make it possible.” 

“Over the next few weeks, people throughout Kawartha Lakes will receive a letter from Jennifer, outlining the highest priority investments underway at the Ross and how everybody can help make them happen,” said Erin Coons, RMH Foundation CEO. “From access to the best diagnostic imaging and leading-edge bedside equipment enabling life-saving care — every donation will help ensure our hospital’s facilities and services grow with our community.”

“We’re honoured that Jennifer agreed to share her story and help the RMH Foundation raise funds for these pivotal projects through the Spring Appeal letter,” said Mona Malcolm-Sharman, RMH Foundation Board Chair. “We hope everyone will watch for her letter in the mail, or consider making a gift online. We never know when we might need our community hospital, but we do know how we can help the Ross Team provide the best care possible. We do it every time we donate.”

“I’ve grown up in this community and I’ve seen how the Ross has been there for my family. I want to help other families get the best care, in the safest environment during those moments that matter,” said Jennifer Chipp-Smith. “Just as Sarah’s care made a lasting impression on me, you can touch a life with your giving. You can be somebody’s hero.”

View or download the 2025 Spring Appeal letter

Make an Online Donation

Hopeful Moments - 2024 Winter Appeal

A devastating diagnosis upended the Shauf family, triggering a year of intensive treatment for a rare form of leukemia. Today, Jocelyn is cancer free.

With life returning to normal, Tim and Sheila Shauf are sharing their gratitude for ‘the army of people’ who supported their daughter’s recovery, by telling their story and encouraging donations to the RMH Foundation holiday appeal. “This is about saving lives,” said Tim Shauf.

“This is about raising funds to pay for the medical technology and equipment that the doctors, nurses, lab techs and pharmacists need to diagnose and treat patients like Jocelyn. Right here — where we live. Tools that are not covered by government funding — critical elements that are solely reliant on the support of us as community members.”

Jocelyn’s life-saving care involved teams of care providers from multiple facilities. Her family witnessed first-hand the impact of her access to timely clinical information and bedside equipment. Through their involvement with the Foundation’s holiday appeal, they hope to give more patients their best chance for a positive outcome.

Donations to the Hopeful Moments holiday appeal will fund the highest priority investments at Ross Memorial include the expansion and modernization of the hospital’s Emergency Department and ICU, the community’s new MRI and CT Scanner, bedside equipment including the new fleet of IV pumps, and the clinical information system that connects patients’ digital health information records to medical technology and bedside tools so every test and treatment is noted in real time and available to the entire care team.

“When Tim Shauf agreed to lead the largest capital campaign in our hospital’s history, he knew it was a cause that would impact everyone in Kawartha Lakes. It’s a responsibility he’s even more passionate about now,” said Erin Coons, RMH Foundation CEO. “We’re so grateful to the Shaufs for sharing their story and couldn’t be happier that Jocelyn is in good health.”

View or download the 2024 Winter Appeal letter

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Hometown Hospital, First Rate Care - 2024 Spring Appeal

Erik Ellis thought a pulled muscle was responsible for his painful limp. He never expected that he had osteoarthritis and needed a total hip replacement.

“My diagnosis had me worrying if I would ever get back to my normal pace and all of the activities that keep me young. Fortunately, we live in a community with advanced hospital services. In fact, Ross Memorial was the first hospital in Ontario to use the new hip replacement implant technology that got me back up and moving!”

Both Erik and his wife Denise appreciate how smoothly everything went, from the pre-op appointment to the check-ups during Erik’s recovery. And they're grateful that Erik could get the new, less invasive procedure at Ross Memorial, his hometown hospital.

That’s why Erik and Denise are sharing their experience in the Ross Memorial Hospital’s spring appeal letter that will be mailed throughout Kawartha Lakes.

“The Ross has always been there when we needed it,” said Erik. “With our local population set to double in the next decade, we must ensure the Ross is equipped with the tools and facilities it needs to provide the best care and services.”

“So many people are involved in a patient’s care. That includes our family of donors,” said Erin Coons, RMH Foundation CEO. “As the hospital needs to grow services and spaces, and implement advancements in medical science, we count on our generous community to help fund equipment, technology and capital projects that are not covered through government funding. It takes all of us to keep our hometown hospital providing first rate care.”

The highest priority investments at Ross Memorial include the future expansion and modernization of the hospital’s Emergency Department and ICU, the community’s new MRI and CT Scanner, bedside equipment including the new fleet of IV pumps, and the clinical information system that connects patients’ digital health information records to medical technology and bedside tools so every test and treatment is noted in real time and available to the entire care team.

“We’re grateful to Erik and Denise for sharing their story and helping to raise funds to ensure the best medical equipment and facilities are available in Kawartha Lakes, now and for years to come,” said Ryan O’Neill, RMH Foundation board chair. “We hope everyone will watch for their letter, and consider making a donation. Every gift makes a difference.”

View or download the 2024 Spring Appeal letter

Make an Online Donation

Gratitude - 2023 Holiday Appeal

Some of the most important moments of Rosemary Joudrie’s life have taken place at Ross Memorial Hospital. Over her lifetime, the timely care she and her loved ones received made all the difference when every moment mattered. The talented physicians and staff at the Ross have been with her and her family every step of the way; from navigating complications at birth for the youngest, to life threatening emergencies for the oldest, and many moments in between.

When asked what fills her with gratitude, Rosemary says it’s the special people in her life — and those who saved their lives. “Like so many people, I am grateful to everyone at Ross Memorial Hospital for being there during our most critical moments,” said Rosemary.

Rosemary is also grateful to the donors whose gifts to the RMH Foundation help fund the bedside tools and life-saving technology that helps the Ross Team care for patients in their time of need. These include equipment and projects that are not covered by government funding, such as the new MRI and CT Scanner, the new fleet of IV pumps and the clinical information system.

This holiday, Rosemary wants to give more people reasons to be grateful. She is sharing her story through the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation’s holiday appeal to inspire giving for priority needs at the hospital.

She’s also volunteering in a role her Dad, Ralph Griffin, was proud to do during his decades volunteering at the Ross. This holiday, Rosemary will tie ribbons to the paper ornaments donors send with their gifts and hang the messages and attached pictures on the Christmas trees in the main lobby.

“My Dad loved to see how caring people were,” said Rosemary. “He always told me that it didn’t matter how much a person was able to give, because everyone’s donations add up, and together we make a difference. To me, that’s what it means when we say WE ARE THE ROSS.”

“Like Rosemary, so many of us have stories of our care at the Ross that stretch back our entire lives,” said Ryan O’Neill, RMH Foundation Board Chair. “The Ross is more than our community hospital. It’s where lives are touched.”

“We hope everyone will watch for Rosemary’s letter in the mail and share their gratitude this holiday,” said Erin Coons, RMH Foundation CEO. “With our community ballooning in size, it’s never been more important to ensure our hospital is equipped to respond, during emergencies and milestone moments. We can all help patients like Rosemary.”

View or download the 2023 Holiday Appeal letter

Make an Online Donation

We Are The Ross - 2023 Spring Appeal

As our community grows, hospital services become even more important. So do the donors whose gifts help fund essential medical equipment and technology needs at Ross Memorial. From doctors to donors, we all play a role in patient care.

RMH Chief of Staff, Dr. Bharat Chawla is proud of the hospital team that works hard to care for our community — and he’s grateful for the generous donors who ensure the team has the tools and technology needed to give patients the best care possible. These connections are life changing.

“At the Ross Memorial, we do our best to adapt our services to meet the needs of our community. As your healthcare needs evolve and grow, the Ross Memorial evolves and grows,” said Dr. Chawla.

“We’re grateful to be working with Dr. Chawla to raise awareness of essential technology and equipment needs from MRI and the CT Scanner to the new Clinical Information System that connects patients’ digital health records to our diagnostic and clinical tools,” said Erin Coons, RMH Foundation CEO. “We’re mailing Dr. Chawla’s letter throughout the Kawartha Lakes to give everyone the opportunity to have an impact on patient care. By working together, we’re advancing care close to home.”

“It takes all of us to keep the Ross functioning at the level we all expect, and to ensure we as a community have access to the best medical tools in a timely fashion,” said Ryan O’Neill, RMH Foundation Board Chair. “Just as Dr. Chawla says—we all have some connection to the Ross Memorial Hospital. Whether we were born there, experienced a life changing event there, received care following an injury, work or volunteer there … we all count on the Ross.”

Read for Dr. Chawla’s spring appeal letter below, or follow the Online Donation link to make a gift. Together, WE ARE THE ROSS.

View or download the 2022 Spring Appeal letter

Make an Online Donation