For more than 60 years, the Rotary Club of Brampton has consistently supported Brampton’s hospitals, including a $500,000 pledge made in 2016 to help finish and equip the then-new Peel Memorial, and upgrade equipment and services at Brampton Civic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Club in ways they could have never anticipated, including putting a pause on in-person meetings and forcing the cancellation of their largest annual fundraiser, the highly anticipated Rib ‘n’ Roll food and music festival held each May at Brampton’s Gage Park. Despite this unexpected hit to their fundraising, the Club has remained steadfast in its support of health care, internationally and especially close to home.

“We have members of the Club whose family members are battling the disease and some who have lost family or close friends,” says David Clement, President of the Rotary Club of Brampton. “The pandemic has certainly hindered our ability to deliver much-needed funds to many charities, but it was important to us to dig deep to provide relief both internationally and here locally. It is a worldwide crisis and it's been particularly acute here in Brampton. Osler hospitals are the epicenter of fighting COVID-19 so it was just a logical move for us to help.”

There are a total of five Rotary Clubs in the city of Brampton and most have stepped forward with additional donations on top of their regular support. The Rotary Club of Brampton is the largest of these clubs, and has contributed $50,000 to the Health Care Heroes campaign, along with a message to Osler’s frontline workers:

“Thank you for everything that you do to keep us safe,” says David. “Health care touches every life; thank you for helping to save and preserve those lives.”