An Ottawa couple's generosity toward kidney research just hit a major milestone. Russ and June Jones have brought their total giving to The Ottawa Hospital to $21 million, after announcing a new $10 million donation aimed at advancing kidney research and care in the city.
The news was shared this week by local Instagram account @shottawa.tv, which called it a "massive commitment" from the couple to the hospital's ongoing work.
A personal cause
For the Joneses, this isn't abstract philanthropy. June has lived with kidney disease for more than 30 years. She received a kidney transplant that lasted nearly 15 years before it eventually failed, and she has since returned to dialysis while waiting for another transplant to become available. That firsthand experience with the toll of kidney disease, and the long wait times patients face, is what has driven the couple's sustained support for research into better treatments.
Where the money goes
According to the announcement, the latest $10 million gift will go toward several priorities at The Ottawa Hospital:
- Accelerating kidney research
- Developing new treatments for kidney disease
- Training the next generation of kidney specialists
- Supporting the hospital's new campus development
Combined with their earlier contributions, the Joneses' total giving toward kidney care now stands at $21 million, making it one of the more significant philanthropic commitments to a single area of research at the hospital in recent years.
Why it matters for Ottawa
The Ottawa Hospital has increasingly leaned on major donor support to fund research and specialist training as it also works toward building its new campus. Kidney disease affects a significant number of Ottawa residents, many of whom, like June, spend years on dialysis or transplant waitlists. Gifts of this size can help fund clinical trials, recruit top researchers, and ultimately shorten the gap between diagnosis and better treatment options for patients across the region.
The Joneses' donation adds to a growing list of major gifts to the hospital's research programs as Ottawa's health care institutions push to expand both their physical footprint and their research capacity in the coming years.
Story via @shottawa.tv on Instagram.
