Frequently Asked Questions
50 million Reasons Campaign
As an adult acute-care facility in Waterloo Region, St. Mary’s General Hospital serves more than one million residents locally and beyond. To support the hospital’s growing needs, the foundation is looking to raise approximately $50 million in the immediate future.
Running a hospital takes more than just people power; it requires up-to-date medical equipment so that staff have the tools they need to give care. New and replacement equipment, including tools staff use daily to diagnose, treat and assess a patient’s condition, are not funded by the Ministry of Health.
This is where your support comes in – because there’s no shortage of reasons to give to St. Mary’s.
The joint hospital initiative is a multi-stage process and can take, on average, 10 years or longer to complete. As both hospitals forge ahead, the foundation continues to meet the needs of the current St. Mary’s site, and to provide accessible and timely healthcare to residents every day.
The 50 million Reasons campaign will raise money to fund priority equipment that the Kitchener-Waterloo community needs right now.
It’s an exciting time for the region as both hospitals look to expand capacity and continue serving a growing community. For news or inquiries about the joint hospital initiative, visit Building the Future of Care Together.
Think of 50 million Reasons as the campaign that anchors everything we do. Regular foundation events and fundraising activities will continue as planned, but with a twist here and there as we weave in 50 million Reasons across all of our initiatives.
We leveraged the colours and identity of the foundation’s new brand, launched in September 2023. The numbers are laid out on a scoreboard to show the many reasons to support local healthcare. Much like players keeping track of scores, we’re keeping track of each reason because it matters – what’s yours?
First off, thank you for wanting to support St. Mary’s! There are other ways you can get involved:
- Tell your story
- Share your reason to support local healthcare. No reason is too small.
- Follow and share our content on social media.
- Share a message of gratitude to your care team at St. Mary’s.
- Take part in our events.
- Create your own fundraiser and invite your contacts to pay it forward.
Donations and tax receipts
- Anytime online through the Donate button.
- By mail or in person: Send a cheque to or drop by Medical Centre 2, 435 The Boardwalk Suite 300, Waterloo, ON, N2T 0C2.
- By phone: (519) 749-6797 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays). Please have your credit card information ready.
- By phone, mail or in person: Receive a tax receipt by mail in approximately two weeks upon processing your donation.
- Online: Expect an automated tax receipt via email.
- By the end of February, you’ll receive a consolidated tax receipt accounting for the total donations you made for the year.
One-time donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt.
For monthly donations, you’ll receive a consolidated tax receipt by mail in February.
We understand that donors want to give to specific areas in the hospital – or share messages of gratitude – based on their interactions or experiences at St. Mary’s.
Where applicable, donors can advise the foundation where they’d like their donations to go toward. To allow us to respond to emerging needs at the hospital at any given time, we encourage donors to give to the unrestricted or priority category.
Each donation is personal because each donation has a reason. We work hard to honour how you wish to see your donation used. To have a more in-depth conversation on where you want to allocate your donation, contact foundation@supportstmarys.ca or call (519) 749-6797.
Monthly giving
A monthly donation ensures a steady base of support, allowing St. Mary’s to keep addressing our community healthcare needs now.
This continued support also means that St. Mary’s can plan for the future in meaningful ways.
By the end of February, you’ll receive a consolidated tax receipt in the mail accounting for the total donations you made for the year.
General inquiries
We work hard to ensure we’re sharing information about the foundation that you’d like to receive. If you change your mind at any point, update your preferences and we’ll make sure to note them in our system.
Give us a call at (519) 749-6797 or email foundation@supportstmarys.ca and we’ll take down your new information.
Find them here: Privacy policy and audited statements.
Visit the hospital’s website to learn about volunteer opportunities and the application process.
Community fundraising
Our fundraising website offers an easy way to set up your fundraiser and donation page to support St. Mary’s.
The benefit: You skip the headache of administering donations and issuing tax receipts. We handle the backend, and you can focus on spreading the word to drum up support.
Contact events@supportstmarys.ca, and we’d be happy to assist.