At Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, innovation means more than breakthroughs in the lab. Innovation is in every new piece of equipment that speeds up a diagnosis or makes care safer and more comfortable, every Child Life program that eases a child’s fear and provides comfort and distraction, and every research discovery that changes pediatric care. Your support makes innovation possible and we’re celebrating another incredible year thanks to our generous community.
At the heart of everything we do are the kids and their families. Their stories inspire generosity and bring meaning to our work. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to
Jack, our 2025 Champion, for embracing his role with such courage. We are equally grateful to his parents for sharing their journey. Jack has faced more than most, including the loss of his twin brother just days after birth, numerous surgeries, and the need for mobility aids. Yet he meets every challenge with an unwavering belief that he can do it.
As Champion, Jack attended more than 40 events. He raised his flag at Winnipeg City Hall for National Child Day, spent time fishing with longtime supporter Ken Talbot, explored the Manitoba Legislative Building with Premier Wab Kinew, and helped raise critical funds for child health research.
As we celebrate Jack’s incredible year, we are also proud to welcome our 2026 Champion, Ireland. She is the first baby in Manitoba to receive cochlear implant surgery. She is a true trailblazer who loves gymnastics, being an older sister, and stepping into this important role. Ireland is a powerful reminder that research changes lives.
Kids like Jack and Ireland inspire us to do more, and as always donors are answering that call. Our generous community raised a transformational $13,527,465 in 2025-26! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! It was a meaningful year, full of positive change for kids who need treatment and care, and those funds are already making an impact.
Donors are providing comforting environments for kids facing long hospital stays. Construction is underway to revitalize patient rooms, treatment areas, and family spaces in CK5 – the childhood cancer, blood disorders, and transplants ward at HSC Children’s Hospital. This project will improve kids’ care through reimagined spaces, upgraded equipment and technology, comfortable and modern furniture, and ongoing research into childhood cancer through Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM). Plus, we’ve invited artists to bring colour and creativity to the spaces where kids spend so much time.
Donors are supporting reconciliation in health care. Work has begun on the Indigenous Community Healing Space at HSC Children’s – a landmark project that is fully Indigenous-led by Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and health care leaders, as well as children and families from Métis, Inuit, and First Nations communities in Manitoba. This is the first Indigenous healing space in Canada designed specifically for children and their families inside a children’s hospital, placing Manitoba at the forefront of reconciliation in health care.
Donors help make sure frontline teams have the cutting-edge equipment they need to provide kids with the best care possible. We now have more than $4 million in new equipment, including items like vein finders, ophthalmology lasers, a mini C-arm X-ray machine for Children’s Emergency, and an ENT CO2 surgical laser to make ear, nose and throat procedures faster and safer. Plus, remote monitored bed technology is expanding at HSC Children’s so all 100 inpatient beds will be compatible with remote monitored equipment. This includes 18 new monitors for spaces like the emergency department and the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units.
Donors are revitalizing Children’s Emergency – improving patient and staff experience and safety – with construction set to begin in 2027 and over $1 million in life-saving equipment already in use. Children and families will benefit from better care experiences and enhanced clinical capacity when they need it most, as well as specialized research focused on emergency care through CHRIM. The project has expanded through extensive clinical consultations to ensure the department fully meets the complex and evolving needs of the children and families we serve. The total project will now include critical enhancements to expand mental health capacity and support.
At the Foundation, we’re deeply grateful for the many ways our community shows up for kids like Jack and Ireland and look forward to another meaningful year.
For a full look at how donors helped make innovation possible in 2025-26, visit goodbear.ca/gratitudereport.
Stefano Grande is the president and CEO of Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.