Dilama Icho wants people to think of their community hospital as a home. After all, it’s where you and your family members seek treatment, and where new family members are welcomed into the world.

“If your home needs a new dryer, you will replace it,” says Dilama, Clinical Services Manager at William Osler Health System (Osler) and member of Osler’s Employee Giving Committee. “So, if we were to think of Osler as our home, then we need to put in the resources to ensure that our home is well maintained.”

As Dilama speaks about the “This is MY hospital” employee giving campaign, she emphasizes the importance of fundraising for new equipment. “As managers, we are aware of the ongoing need for updated machines, stretchers, and mattresses,” she explains. “We understand that the funding for this equipment comes entirely from donations, so we deeply appreciate the generous contributions that make it possible.”

Dilama joined the Employee Giving Committee last year, eager to educate people about hospital fundraising and debunk any existing myths. “I live five minutes from Brampton Civic Hospital. This is my hospital,” she says. “I have been a patient of Osler since 2003 when I came to Canada.”

Many of her cousins were born at the old Peel Memorial, one recently delivered a baby at Brampton Civic, and her grandfather received “wonderful” end-of-life care at Etobicoke General Hospital.

“If I'm going to support anything, I'm going to support the community I'm in and the hospitals that I work for and receive care in,” Dilama explains. She also shares this point of view with community members who ask about her job or their local hospital.

“I’m Assyrian (Mesopotamian) by background, and there's a large community here,” she explains. “When conversations about the hospital come up, I tell them, if you donate, you can make a real impact. Look what we've done at Etobicoke General. Look at the new patient tower. You donated, and we were able to do that.”

Dilama hopes to continue the dialogue around why it’s important to donate or even increase your donations. “One of the best decisions I made was to join the Employee Giving Committee; it has allowed me to expand my thoughts on the organization,” she said. “You're donating to a hospital that's going to either look after you at one point in time or is looking after your loved ones.”

Osler Foundation is excited to build upon Osler’s incredible spirit of philanthropy with the “This is MY Hospital” Employee Giving Campaign, which has a goal of $1 million. When you become a donor, you will be in great company, while making a meaningful impact and supporting exceptional health care close to home.

Join Dilama in supporting our hospitals.