Legacy OF Life A PUBLICATION BY SCARBOROUGH HEALTH NETWORK FOUNDATION
WINTER 2024 EDITION
Our annual Legacy of Life newsletter delivers you the latest news, stories and updates on legacy giving at SHN Foundation. Read inspiring stories about our legacy donors and learn how your gift can show how you Love, Scarborough and make a meaningful and long-lasting impact at our Scarborough hospitals.
TH E Story O F RU DY N O LL A N D W H Y H E D E C I D E D TO PUT S H N I N H I S W I LL I remember the very cold January 6, 1966, when I, my expecting wife Gaynor and my son Stephen moved from East York to Scarborough. Immigrating from Germany in the 1950’s, Scarborough was to be our new home. We all called it ‘Scarberia’ at the time because the area was relatively new – no restaurants, no nightlife, no bus service, and many unpaved roads. But to us, it was a great place to raise a young and growing family in a three-bedroom bungalow. Our move was subject to many friendly jokes and comments from friends and colleagues. But it didn’t bother me because Scarborough was going to be our future home. We had settled in an area just north of the General Hospital and having a neighbourhood hospital made us feel safer and assured. After a couple of years, we really appreciated that our home was not only close to a hospital but also to a school. By then we also had switched all medical service needs from East York. Scarborough had become home, and if anybody asked, where do you live? The answer was always: In Scarborough, just north of the General Hospital. We felt proud to be in this neighbourhood. I was a trained typographer and eventually became Manager of Publications Ontario. This included publishing the Ontario Gazette and acquiring and distributing printed government material.
S CA R B O R O UGH H E A LT H N E T WO R K FO UNDAT IO N
As time went on the demand and stress of the job affected my well-being. I would go for angioplasties at a downtown hospital, spend a couple of days in care, and then walk back to my job. At one angioplasty, my heart shut down and I had a cardiac arrest. While at the time SHN didn’t perform heart operations, my follow-ups were neverthe-less done at the General Hospital. Not that the building attracted – it was the people working there that made it a great place. I was always treated well. Since a cardiology department was developed, SHN has looked after the needs of my heart. In 2016, my wife Gaynor got progressively sicker just before Christmas. A timely angioplasty allowed her to enjoy Christmas with family and friends and a quiet New Year’s with me. During this time, we firmed up our resolution to include SHN in our will. Sadly, she ended up in the General Hospital again and despite excellent care passed away at the end of January.
I encourage everyone to be charitable. It benefits everyone in a community. If I have some knowledge of the situation, I like to be blunt. Have you ever been sick and in the hospital? Donate. Hospitals need our support now more than ever. People of my age will get more benefits from giving to the local hospital than from buying more stuff. Driving by the Scarborough General Hospital to pick up meals for Meals-on-Wheels delivery, I often think of that cold day in ’66 when we moved to Scarborough, just north of the SGH. There has been no better place to live than in ‘Scarberia’.
RU DY N OLL Legacy and Annual Donor
TE LLI N G A F I N A L STO RY WITH A Gift I N YOU R W I LL TO S H N A will is more than just a direction to divide estate assets—it is a way to tell your final story and shape the future.
By leaving a gift to charity in your will, you can:
The will underscores your legacy by adding value to the things that matter most to you. When drafting a will, your first goal is to ensure your loved ones are comfortable and secure, and second, focus your attention on tax planning or charitable giving.
2. Reduce or eliminate the tax burden on your estate.
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1.
Extend your support of the causes and organizations that matter to you most, and create a lasting impact beyond your lifetime.
3.
Honour the memory of a loved one who has passed away. It can also be a way to continue supporting the causes they cared about.
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Be remembered. Your gift can help ensure that the causes and organizations you care about continue to thrive for generations to come. You and your legacy will never be forgotten. C T D.
Generous B E N E FAC TO RS REMEMBERED
Scarborough Health Network (SHN) Foundation is profoundly grateful for the generous bequests gifted by our supporters. Together, they have bequeathed $1.86 million to advance healthcare for the Scarborough community and beyond. They will be forever remembered for their incredible generosity. Listed below are bequests received by SHN Foundation between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023: Estate of Elaine Carol Apted Estate of Andrew Bishop Estate of Joan Frances Brown Estate of Gladys Jessie Calland Estate of Audrey Rose Mary Carefoote Estate of Xue Ping Chen Estate of William Maxwell Jenkinson Estate of Eric MacNeil Estate of Shirley Marie Martin Estate of Eileen Mason Estate of Ethel Muriel McCowan Estate of Margaret Mitchell Estate of Janice Lynn Perrin Estate of Marjorie Rimes Estate of Percy Leonard Taylor A popular way to make a gift in your will to charity is to leave a residual gift as a percentage of the estate. This allows you to take care of your loved ones first after all the expenses are paid. Minimizing estate taxes through charitable bequests requires financial and legal expertise in estate planning. Please speak to your legal and financial advisors today about leaving a gift in your will to Scarborough Health Network Foundation to reduce the tax burden on your estate. Remember to use our legal name – Scarborough Health Network Foundation – in the will to ensure that your gift goes where you want. If you wish to designate your bequest to one of the three hospitals within the health network, contact Verna Chen at 416-219-5789 or via email at vchen@shn.ca.
SCA R BOR OU GH H EA LT H N E TWO R K F OU NDAT ION ( SH N F OU N DATI O N ) 314-3030 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough, ON, M1P 2T7 416-431-8130 | foundation@shn.ca SHNFoundation.ca CHARITABLE REGISTRATION # 11914 2263 RR0001