It had been some time since residents and their visitors at the Houses of Providence, the long-term care home at Providence Healthcare, had somewhere nice to sit outdoors. The old benches had rotted. Then Julie Wang, whose mother has been a resident for more than a decade, took over as treasurer of the family council. Julie decided to buy some benches, and she turned to St. Michael’s Foundation for advice on how to raise the money.
“It was really something,” says Julie. “They talked me through everything I needed to know. They helped me set up a fundraising page on the Foundation’s Fundraise Your Way portal, and then we sent out an email to the families of all Providence residents.”
Peer-to-peer fundraising works through a kind of domino effect. In this case, families receiving the initial appeal reached out to other people, who then reached out to others. Before long, 102 donations flowed in. Julie had originally been hoping for $5,000; she ended up with $18,000.
Today there are seven new benches. And the Houses of Providence grounds are a comfortable spot for families and friends to be together.
Julie plans to fundraise again next time she sees a need. For the time being, she is grateful to St. Michael’s Foundation for the support – and she’s amazed by what the family council accomplished.
“The outcome has just been phenomenal. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to care for a senior. And we have that.”
Interested in organizing a fundraiser to support St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence Healthcare? Our Fundraise Your Way portal has online resources to help you.
Donate to St. Michael's Foundation.
