Irving Greenberg and Shirley Greenberg are names many Ottawa residents may recognize for their appearance on local buildings and institutions, but the true depth of their extraordinary impact on the city was honoured this morning at the Visionaries Breakfast for Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH).
The philanthropists were not only leading supporters of the west-end hospital, but their generosity and volunteer leadership have been continued by their son, Dan Greenberg, along with his wife, Barbara Crook, both of whom participated in the breakfast. It raised $515,238 for a hospital that serves half of Ottawa’s population and runs one of the busiest emergency departments in the province.
Dr. Andrew Falconer, president and CEO of QCH, and Shannon Gorman, president and CEO of QCH Foundation, were both on hand to formally welcome a room full of nearly 300 sponsors, donors, table captains and their guests. Each table was also joined by a health care expert from QCH.
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For an event that was only 90 minutes long, it really packed a lot in, from a fun game of “name that medical tool” to a fund-a-need to a lovely eight-minute video tribute to Dan Greenberg’s parents that left him a tad teary eyed.
“As their son, it’s an incredible honour for me to be here with you,” he said at the podium, speaking unscripted and with a genuine sense of gratitude and connection to his audience. “I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for being here today, for giving and for continuing to be part of the Queensway Carleton family. Your love, your caring – your dollars — they are needed more than ever, so thank you so much.”
He touched on QCH’s vital role in delivering, extending and saving lives, and spoke of how rewarding it’s been to have his family help the hospital grow and evolve since it first opened in 1976.
“When somebody comes to you and says, ‘Thank you, because your hospital saved me a year ago with cancer care that I received at Queensway Carleton’ you can’t say enough about that.”
Irving had been one of the three brothers who started real estate giant Minto. He wasn’t one to seek the spotlight, and was more interested in supporting social justice causes and making the world a better place, the room heard. Irving passed away in 1991 at age 62.
Greenberg has followed in his father’s footsteps by taking on leadership roles in fundraising for QCH. “I love QCH, I love the hospital, and it’s certainly one of our favourite places to give in the community,” said Greenberg, president and owner of Ferguslea Properties, which owns the Accora Village community in Ottawa.
Greenberg, who wore his attire of choice – an Ottawa Senators jersey — gave a special shout out to the hockey club for its support.
Shirley Greenberg generously gave to many causes in the city, and is remembered for helping to advance the women’s movement. She became a lawyer at 45 and opened the first all-female law office in Ottawa. In 2022, Shirley passed away at age 90.
Her philanthropy helped QCH to establish a breast imaging suite to improve access, accuracy and diagnosis for women facing breast cancer.
One of her long-time friends, Eleanor Thomson, spoke in the video of what a “unique” woman Shirley was. “She just loved everyone. She was not judgmental, she was helpful, she was kind, understanding. And she could also be as tough as she needed to be.”
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe expressed his gratitude for the Greenbergs’ contributions to the city. “We’re truly fortunate to have a family that cares so deeply about our community,” said the mayor, who was hosted at the breakfast by Chad Schella, associate vice president of government relations for CIBC and a member of the board at both QCH and its foundation.
Also present this morning were QCH board chair Atul Aggarwal, president and CEO of Marcan Pharmaceuticals, and QCH Foundation board chair Fred Seller, partner at Brazeau Seller Law. Special guests included Ava Grace Sliwa, a first-year biomedical student at the University of Ottawa, and her parents. They shared their family’s story of how the hospital saved Sliwa’s life after her mental health took a turn for the worse during the pandemic. They credited the expanded services at the new Barbara Crook and Dan Greenberg Mental Health Centre as being an important part of the healing.
Ryan Watson from Raising the Bid led the successful fund-a-need for life-saving medical equipment. Dr. Hassan Sannoufi, founder and chief medical officer of La Vie Executive Health Centre, kicked the fundraising drive off with his $120,000 donation. He quickly shared his story of coming to Canada in 1997 with little money but big dreams, and of how welcoming QCH was toward him when he joined in 2007. “The Queensway Carleton Hospital embraced me like my mother and I really feel like the Queensway is my second home, continues to be to this day,” he said. “We’re very blessed today that we’re able to donate.”
The pledges continued with a $50,000 donation from Emily Richardson and multiple donations from attendees in the amounts of $25,000, $10,000, $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000.
There was also an anonymous donation of $100,00 made, proving generosity can come at all hours of the day. “It’s only 8:36,” quipped Watson while sharing the good news.
