Hospice in Clarington is closer to reality thanks to some whopping donations.
Earlier this week, Algoma Orchards President Kirk Kemp and his wife Sheila, and Algoma Orchards Chief Executive Officer Mike Gibson and his wife Carissa, each contributed $200,000, while Syvan Developments Limited President Ed Vanhaverbeke and his wife Sylvia announced a donation of $100,000 towards Durham Region Hospice – Clarington.
A five-bed residential hospice care centre is being built on Cobbledick Road in Newcastle on land donated earlier this year by the Municipality of Clarington.
According to the Central East Local Health Integration Network, there is an immediate need for 33 residential hospice beds in Durham Region, a number that will continue to increase as the population grows. Despite this need, the region remains one of the only areas in Ontario without a fully operational residential hospice care centre.
Algoma Orchards President Kirk Kemp encourages others to donate.
“I challenge the Clarington business community to join Sheila and myself, as well as the Gibson and Vanhaverbeke families, in our support,” said Kemp. “Whether that means matching our donations or simply giving what you can – every donation counts.”
The new centre will offer private rooms, free parking, unrestricted visiting hours and the ability to live freely. It will feature a great room, dining room, multipurpose room, kitchen, bathroom, reception area, spiritual space, family counselling rooms, an outdoor courtyard with a reflecting pool and walking paths.
The $500,000 donation will support Durham Region Hospice’s $15-million “Comfort, Care, Compassion” capital campaign, which launched in February.
