Ottawa's business and civic community gathered on Sept. 15 for the 25th President's Breakfast in support of The Ottawa Hospital, an annual fundraiser held this year at the Rogers Centre Ottawa. The morning event, organized by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, raised more than $480,000 for the hospital.
Who was there
The breakfast was co-hosted by Lisa Setlakwe of Transport Canada and Taryn Gunnlaugson of BMO Private Investment Counsel. Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe attended, as did former prime minister Joe Clark. Tim Kluke, president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, was also on hand for the milestone 25th edition of the event.
What guests heard
Cameron Love, president and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital, spoke to the room about how innovation and patient-centred care are transforming health care at the hospital. Dr. Sony Singh, of The Ottawa Hospital's Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Care, also addressed guests, and Dr. Rebecca Auer underscored the importance of research to the hospital's work.
The morning's most personal moments came from two guests who shared their own experiences with the hospital's care. Ted Wagstaff and Danika Fleury told guests about hope and resilience, describing how compassionate care, advanced treatments and research changed their lives.
Why it matters for Ottawa
A quarter-century in, the event has become a fixture on the city's civic and business calendar, drawing together elected officials, corporate leaders and hospital staff for a single cause.
The bigger picture
Events like this one sit alongside the hospital's broader push to fund research and patient care through private donations. The speeches from Love and Auer pointed to two sides of that effort: Love's focus on innovation and patient-centred care in the hospital's day-to-day operations, and Auer's emphasis on research as a driver of the treatments patients eventually receive. Wagstaff and Fleury's stories put a human face on that work, connecting the fundraising dollars back to the care patients actually experience at The Ottawa Hospital.
Sources: Ottawa Business Journal
