This text is part of the special section Philanthropy
The goal alone is dizzying: 200 million. This is what the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation wishes to raise as part of its Long live the tanners campaign, which began in 2019 and continues until 2026. A colossal sum which makes it the collection of most ambitious fund in the history of Quebec.
Already more than 100 million in donations have been raised, with the help of a campaign cabinet of 40 members, philanthropists and companies, of which the Honorable L. Yves Fortier, lawyer, businessman and diplomat, is the president. of honor. These members solicit their own network and contribute to various fundraising activities.
Within this firm, we find, among others, senior managers of financial institutions and large companies, such as Luc Ouellet (Scotiabank), Richard Pan (Power Corporation), Jean Raymond (CIBC), Nadine Renaud-Tinker (RBC Royal Bank) and none other than hockey player PK Subban, himself CEO of a foundation that bears his name. Their slogan is a play on words: “Bandage differently”.
As part of the campaign, major donors have a choice: their donation can be used for the most urgent needs determined by the Hospital, or even be dedicated to a department or a particular objective.
Renée Vézina, President of the Children’s Foundation, was hired to set up this vast project, the Foundation’s first solo campaign in 28 years.
“It’s a campaign that aims to propel innovative projects, both in the clinical and research fields,” she says. The hospital is new, so it’s not a campaign of infrastructure and equipment, but of initiatives such as SPOT, a center specializing in mental health for adolescents. »
Innovative projects
So far, some twenty major projects are on the table to receive support from the Foundation. “These are transformational projects that will change the game in pediatrics, not just in Quebec, but around the world,” adds Renée Vézina. About half are clinical in nature, and the other half are research. »
Among these projects is the Smart Hospital, a portable device that will take patients’ vital signs. Instead of staying connected to wires in bed, the child will be able to move around. The system will even allow some patients to return home sooner.
The campaign will also fund a mobile clinic, which will travel to underprivileged neighborhoods to provide care for preschoolers, and an art for healing project.
A call for tenders has been launched for Quebec artists to decorate the Montreal Children’s Hospital with works of therapeutic art to make this space, where 40% of them stay eight days on average – and sometimes several months , more welcoming, human and friendly.
In research, a project has been launched to develop liquid biopsies for cancer screening, which are much less painful than bone and tissue biopsies. The campaign will also fund a research project for the birth of healthy babies, as well as a universal genetic screening project for children with cancer.
Projects already 100% funded include the Center for Complex Pain, thanks to a donation from the Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation, and Minnie’s Hope Center in the Far North, where services are tailored to the needs of children. Crees and Inuit living in Kuujjuarapik and Whapmagoostui. The center in Nunavik was funded through donations from BMO and the Hewitt Foundation.
The concept and the brand
In Quebec, there are many good causes for children and health, such as Opération Enfant Soleil, the Charles-Bruneau Foundation and other hospital campaigns. It was therefore necessary to stand out with a concept and communications that would make people talk and make an impression. It was the Cossette firm that developed the idea of “tanners”, to refer to children who move and disturb — which is usually a good sign! A turbulent child is generally a healthy child.
“It’s a universal concept that resonates with everyone,” says Renée Vézina. The doctors told us: in the waiting room, when a child jumps around, they know that his condition is not too serious. »
The campaign has won a good dozen awards, including that of Brand of the Year 2021 presented in North America by the magazine Strategy.
The advertising video for the campaign, broadcast last year, is also enough to make you cry. A playful and mischievous little girl does the 400 blows at home. We then see her, having become too calm, go to the hospital, receive treatment, lose all her hair. Until the final reversal, of course very moving.
The Children beyond received ideas
In Quebec, some erroneous ideas still circulate about the Children’s. For example, many people still believe that it only serves the English-speaking population. In fact, 40% of its clientele is English-speaking, 40% is French-speaking, and 20% is allophone. Renée Vézina has also given herself the mandate of making the establishment better known in Quebec.
Moreover, few people know that according to the geographic breakdown determined by the government, the Children’s receives 63% of ternary and quaternary pediatric cases in Quebec, regardless of the language spoken. These are children who need specialized and complex care that local hospitals cannot provide.
“It’s a world-renowned institution associated with McGill’s Faculty of Medicine, where 47 languages are spoken and which attracts great brains in pediatrics,” says Renée Vézina. With this campaign and the initiatives it generates, people talk about us. The Children is a jewel of modern Quebec to know, and it has the wind in its sails. »