Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) are no strangers to supporting charities in the nation’s capital. From the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada to the United Way, BLG has made an impact in the community for many years.
They’re now making another significant gift to the future of healthcare in the city with a commitment of more than $430,000 in support of the Campaign to Create Tomorrow, The Ottawa Hospital’s $5 million fundraising campaign for the hospital’s new Civic Campus. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build one of the most technologically advanced research and teaching hospitals in Canada, right here in Ottawa.
A partner-driven philanthropic initiative
Led by Ryma Nasrallah, partner and co-leader of BLG’s Charities and Not-for-Profit Law Group, and Larry Elliot, managing partner of the Ottawa office, this partner-driven philanthropic initiative brings together a $200,000 corporate gift from BLG alongside personal commitments from 18 partners across the firm.
Together, these gifts will support the campaign’s vision to help build a new hospital and take research to unprecedented heights – not only here in Ottawa, but beyond.
Elliot says supporting the campaign was a no-brainer. Born and raised in Ottawa, the product liability lawyer feels a responsibility to give back to the community.
“Healthcare touches everyone, whether it’s a loved one, a neighbour, or a friend,” Elliot explains. “Our commitment to this campaign reflects a deep belief in supporting care when our community needs it the most.”
Nasrallah played a central role in engaging colleagues in support of the campaign. As part of The Ottawa Hospital’s Foundation’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, she understands the pressures on our healthcare system and the need for a new hospital to better support patients, physicians, and researchers.
“Anyone familiar with the Civic Campus knows it’s over 100 years old,” says Nasrallah. “Just imagine what a modern hospital will bring in terms of advancements in patient care and research. This project will touch every one of us, whether directly or through someone we love, and we have a civic duty to support it however we can.”
‘We’re doing this in his memory’
BLG’s support is deeply personal. The idea of a collective gift to the hospital was inspired by the legacy of Marc Jolicoeur, the former Ottawa office managing partner.
Around the time of his 2022 passing from brain cancer, the Marc Jolicoeur and Kathleen Faulkner Legacy Endowment Fund was established at The Ottawa Hospital.
“His legacy lives on, and we’re doing this in his memory,” says Nasrallah. That spirit of giving continues to inspire BLG and its partners today, she explains, shaping their commitment to the hospital through the Campaign to Create Tomorrow.
With this donation, BLG and its partners have stepped forward once again to help shape healthcare for the future. Their commitment will help build a hospital designed to meet the needs of a growing city and to serve our community for generations to come.
