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September 5, 2024
A mother who nurtured, a businesswoman who thrived, a grandmother who cherished, an artist who created, a wife who loved deeply.
Lorene Donaldson was born in Stratford on December 11, 1931. She grew up on a dairy farm and was the eldest of four children. After graduating high school, Lorene worked for about nine years as a book keeper in the business office at the Stratford General Hospital. Lorene met John, her future husband, at a corn roast. After dating for a few years, they married in 1957.
Within five years of marriage John and Lorene welcomed three sons, with the fourth arriving in 1967.
At the time, John worked for Loblaws, a job that required the family to relocate frequently.
“In 1975 I left Loblaws and we came back to Stratford to take over what at the time was known as the Red & White Store, renaming it Lori-Jo Supermarket,” says John.
The Donaldson name was too long to fit across the marquee, so Lorene and John shortened each of their first names to create a new moniker that would be heralded in the city for over 45 years. For 24 of these 45 years, the Donaldson’s were owners and operators with John running the store and Lorene balancing the books and paying the bills.
“I’ve known the Donaldson’s for 35 years,” says Susan Engels, John’s daughter-in-law. “I’ve watched as Lorene and John grew in their marriage, in their faith and in their store. They worked very hard. They were a pair; a pair in business and a pair in spirit. They were one another’s social outlet. The grocery business was seven days a week, long hours and so they spent a lot of time together, both at work and at home raising their four boys.”
When Lorene wasn’t at the store, or busy with the boys, she baked, sewed and painted.
“Lorene always wanted to work with her hands. When the kids were small, I didn’t work on Friday mornings and Lorene went downtown to shop and she’d come home with a bundle of fabric. She was a wonderful seamstress. She’d make most of the clothes for the children. She made most of her own clothes. She even made her bathing suits and she looked good in them,” says John with a chuckle.
Lorene also made curtains and beautiful bedspreads. Her paintings adorned the walls of their home and cottage over the years and, to this day, still provide great joy to John and his sons.
In 2021, Lorene was diagnosed with vascular dementia, congestive heart failure, and other complex needs.
“With dementia, the timeline is interesting because you don’t often really know when the symptoms start and you don’t really know when to access professional help,” adds Susan who is a retired healthcare executive. “So in the early stages when Lorene’s behaviours were changing John thought that it was just part of aging and that Lorene was having a bad stretch. She became a bit anxious and she became a little more uncomfortable about having people in the house, even her own children. She would fret and I think that was the beginning for John and Lorene in understanding that dementia doesn’t always look the same for everyone.”
In 2021 John and Lorene relocated to an aging-in-place village in Waterloo, and Lorene began receiving care at Grand River Hospital – Freeport Campus. Under the care of Dr. Koke and his team, Lorene was treated as a person first and celebrated for her life’s devotion to the community. A person-centred approach is an integral part of the Continuum of Care, and in dementia care, this type of comprehensive approach is particularly valuable. Getting to know each patient and learning about their lives facilitates meaningful connections that allows care providers to personalize care and incorporate individualized activities.
John and Lorene celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary at Grand River Hospital. By this time Lorene’s illness had progressed to the stage where she needed assistance getting dressed. As her nurse helped her that day she asked Lorene how she had stayed with the same man for 65 years. “I picked the right one,” she said without hesitation.
In June of 2022 Lorene passed away. Since then John has made it a mission to make a difference in dementia care in a loving tribute to Lorene.
John’s first gifts were made to Grand River Hospital – Freeport Campus to help Dr. Koke and his team to acquire therapeutic tools to enhance neurobehavioural care.
And while Lorene did not receive care at the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) – Stratford General Hospital, John knew she’d want to support care in the community where she and John spent so much of their lives, and where John lives currently.
“We’re giving back to the community because we feel that the people of Stratford helped us make money, and we’re giving back some of that profit to the community,” says John. “It would be something that Lorene would appreciate. She was always a giving person, she worried about others as much as she worried about herself.”
John’s gift, in loving memory of Lorene, to HPHA – Stratford General Hospital will provide enhanced staff training and resources to care for patients living with dementia. This donation supports safety technology, such as a WanderGaurd system for the Medicine Unit, sensory murals, art and therapy tools and education and training for the HPHA healthcare team.
“The training program being sponsored is called PIECES and it’s a holistic, evidence-informed and team-based approach to the care of persons with dementia and other related disorders,” says Susan. “It considers a person’s life prior to their illness - their interests, their hobbies, their loves - and it tries to bridge who the person was prior to the disease onset and their needs now that they are no longer able to express them. So you are getting to know people by their history, by their family’s collateral information. You’re trying to understand the person as a whole being, and the team can then be informed by that in making decisions about care.”
John recently visited HPHA – Stratford General Hospital to take part in a cheque presentation and to meet some of the team members on the units that his donation will impact.
“When I first met John what was so apparent was his love for Lorene,” says Cheryl Hunt, Executive Director of the Stratford General Hospital Foundation. “It has been an honour to work with John, hear stories about his life with Lorene and meet his family. The philanthropic journey he has embarked upon will make a real difference in our ability to care for patients living with dementia and other related disorders.”
For caregivers and families of persons with dementia, Susan offers the following reflection on her experience.
“Dementia doesn’t define the person. The person who you’ve loved all of your life and who’s been a parent and a businesswoman and an artist and a wife, all of these things remain equally important as the part that now includes dementia. And I think it’s critically important for people to understand that the relationship between the healthcare providers and the clients is paramount to recovery or at least a peaceful death, that without a relationship, without recognizing the value of the human being in the bed, you really have nothing.”
Every story matters, every donation makes a difference, just as Lorene’s life and legacy continue to do.
June 18, 2024
“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher.
What does it take to give to other people in need? What does pay it forward really look like in a community? Why is Stratford rated in the top ten best Ontario cities to retire? Stratford is a humble community with a big heart. To live here and have a sense of community is a gift. Many people live their entire lives in Stratford, like Adam and Erma Clarke who were the light to many in the community.
Adam, employed by Cooper, was a Tinsmith by trade and even traveled to Toronto to work the Rounds in train maintenance and repair. After Cooper closed he joined the P.U.C. staff in Stratford. He was a gentle soul who possessed a determination to live life with morality and kindness. Loved by the community at large, Adam was a willing participant who was eager to help others. As a member of Ontario Street Baptist Church the Clarke’s gave generously to make the community a better place.
Erma was employed as an X-ray technician at Stratford General Hospital (SGH). The eldest of four, she thrived in leadership opportunities spending many years with the Girl Guides mentoring children who remember her fondly as Brown Owl. Early morning bus rides to competitions with The Stratford Festival City Majorettes were a highlight for Erma. Gardening was not only a hobby but also her passion. She loved creating floral arrangements for special events and the church. Erma inspired others to take pride in everything they did. “For if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well”, was a favourite phrase of hers. For 21 years, she crossed hundreds of children to safely get to Hamlet School. For her dedication to public safety she received the Volunteer of Distinction award.
Adam and Erma loved getting involved in community initiatives and were often the driving force for progress. If they could do the job asked of them, they would.
Cancer crept into both of them like a slow-moving shadow. Years of treatments and surgeries between Stratford and London established new community relationships. “I remember listening to Mom tell her Doctor how much she loved him,” says daughter, Susan. “This was after her diagnosis of a cancer recurrence.”
Erma and Adam appreciated the care given to them while in treatment. They believed that the hospitals needed help. Seeing first-hand the difficulties with equipment, staffing numbers, long waits on uncomfortable furniture prompted their legacy gift.
The Pharmacist’s Study in the new Cancer & Medical Care Clinic at SGH that will house the memories of Adam and Erma is quite fitting. This will be a place where physicians and pharmacists will collaborate to develop the best patient care plans.
“Mom carried a big binder to appointments to reference when Doctors or Nurses wanted to discuss treatments. It seems fitting that their gift should go towards providing a comfortable space for such important planning,” adds Susan.
Likewise, London Health Sciences was able to purchase six comfort chairs and TVs in the chemo suite with the legacy gift from Adam and Erma.
“I remember a discussion I had with Mom about legacy giving to the hospitals. After a thoughtful pause, like she was remembering a moment back in time, she said to me ‘Dad and I hated sitting those long hours in the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting room.’ It impacted them enough to leave sizable gifts to both hospitals. They believed that to be a part of a community one should share their means to help others.”
June 24 will mark the five year anniversary of Erma’s passing. Adam passed away in 2006.
“Each day is another without our parents,” notes Susan. “By remembering them today I hope our family can demonstrate the teaching of their generosity. It brings our family happiness knowing that we can bring light to others in their time of need.”
March 29, 2024
The Stratford General Hospital Board of Trustees send their heartfelt tghanks to our wonderful donors. In the 2023/2024 fiscal year the Stratford General Hospital Foundation disbursed $809,399.02 to the hospital. These funds were used to invest in the following pieces of equipment:
Medical Imaging
Integrated Stroke Unit/Telemetry
Maternal Child
Rehabilitation
Laboratory
Mental Health
Emergency Room
Donated Expenses: $111,859.94
We can never say thank you enough for our donors' support!
February 14, 2024
Our heartfelt thanks to Richard and Jean Smelski for making a very generous donation of $35,877.55 to mark the end of Smelski Pumpkin Farm located in Shakespeare. We congratulate them on all their hard work, and know many families and visitors will miss visiting their pumpkin farm- an annual tradition where countless cherished memories were made!
Richard and Jean share the following message: "Smelski Pumpkin patch is no more – it was an enjoyable and good ride for the last 20 years. We have made the decision to quit our noted Pumpkin Farm on a high, ‘and not when we have to’. To all our customers and followers, Thank You! After a thorough search, we decided to donate to the Stratford General Hospital Foundation, as a token of our appreciation and successes. At our senior stage in life- the Stratford General Hospital Foundation is more of an investment than a donation–it is only right to share our well-being knowing this is one of the best health providers right next door, which we need and depend on. Not only do we thank the many customers, associates and friends through this donation, but also to a well-managed health provider that we can depend on. Thank You.”
February 6, 2024
The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) Board of Directors were recently given a tour of our Cancer & Medical Care Unit and Pharmacy redevelopment project at the Stratford General Hospital site.
Co-hosted by Ryan Itterman, Director Diagnostics and Regional Pharmacy & Chemotherapy and Francesco Sabatini, Project Manager Facilities Management, members got a behind-the-scenes (and ceilings and walls) glimpse of the progress of the construction which has been ongoing since January 2023. They also learned how this new space will positively impact our patients and team members and allow us to care for more patients closer to home.
Here are some highlights of their tour!
This project is funded as part of the Foundation’s $30 million In Our Hands Capital Campaign. Thanks to generous donors we recently reached 90% of our goal!
January 11, 2024
Cheryl Hunt, Executive Director of the Stratfod General Hospital Foundation; Rick Orr, In Our Hands Capital Campaign Co-Chair, and Andrew Williams, President & CEO of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance were honoured to gather with Strickland’s Stratford Toyota staff to celebrate the achievement of their $100,000 gift pledge being paid in full!
These funds will be designated towards our In Our Hands Capital Campaign. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to community members who have helped support this fundraising effort, your gift has a real impact on the lives of our patients!
The In Our Hands Campaign is made up of a list of vital equipment updates, staff supports, and hospital refurbishment projects. These are all made possible through our donors’ generosity!
Every donation, no matter how large or small, helps us continue to make a real difference in community health care.
To meet tomorrow’s needs, we must ask for your help today!
When you give to your Hospital:
We’re there when you need us… now we need you!
Please make a contribution to:
Stratford General Hospital Foundation
46 General Hospital Drive
Stratford, ON N5A 2Y6
Our community has a rich tradition of support. For more than 100 years, patients have been treated with the highest quality care at our Hospital, thanks in part to our generous community’s commitment to health care. Whether individuals, businesses, service clubs or community groups, our Hospital and patients have consistently benefited from people caring for people.
