June 4, 2008/- Donors to University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, the fundraising arm of Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston General Hospital and Providence Care, have set another record. The Foundation received $15 million in outright gifts and pledges from donors in 2007-2008 – the most money raised for our hospitals in a single year and more than 30 per cent higher than last year, which also broke hospital fundraising records.

“This is a great success story, not just for the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, but for our hospitals and all the people across Southeastern Ontario who rely on them for care,” said Roger Wright, Chair of the Foundation. “These results show the community cares deeply about our hospitals and their future. This level of generosity is unprecedented in the more than 170 year history of our hospitals. We are very grateful.”

More than 12,000 people in Kingston and across Southeastern Ontario made more than 20,000 donations. The $15 million was raised in a variety of ways, including gifts and pledges in person, by mail, online and over the phone. Third parties supported the Foundation by holding events, raffles, lotteries and more. Money was also raised through Foundation events such as KGH’s Black Tie Evening, Hotel Dieu Hospital’s Invitational Golf Tournament, and Providence Care’s Founders' Dinner.

The $15 million total for 2007-2008 is calculated by adding outright cash gifts and new pledges – nearly $5 million in outright gifts and more than $10 million in new pledges. In addition, more than $2 million was received in payments on previous pledges.

The 2007-2008 results do not include the $16 million commitment by the City of Kingston to the redevelopment of the university hospitals of Kingston, which was received after the fiscal year closed.

The Foundation uses a sharing formula to disburse gifts to the hospitals. Though final numbers are subject to audit, the shared money available to be transferred to the hospitals is expected to be $3.4 million to KGH, $2.7 million to Providence Care and $830,000 to Hotel Dieu Hospital. This does not include certain gifts which go directly to the hospitals.

“This year’s results are a great stepping stone to the campaign we plan to launch next week – Together We Can,” said Denise Cumming, Executive Director of the Foundation. “While we have come a long way in helping our hospitals, there is still more we need to do. That’s what Together We Can will accomplish.”

All of the gifts received in 2007-2008 will be included in the Foundation’s upcoming fundraising campaign – Together We Can. The campaign, set to be launched June 11th at Noon at Springer Market Square in Downtown Kingston, will raise money for the redevelopment of the university hospitals of Kingston as well as equipment, staff education and medical research. The province will pay 90 per cent of the cost of redevelopment, if the community will pick up the remaining 10 per cent plus the cost of most of the equipment.