Brent Belzberg, Andrew Miller, Shawn Mecklinger and Mayor Rob Ford.

On June 14, Leadership Sinai held its 19th Annual General Meeting with some very special guests in attendance. Mayor Rob Ford, and his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, were pleased to attend the meeting of young philanthropists dedicated to making a difference at Mount Sinai Hospital.

The event was held at the home of Brent and Lynn Belzberg. Brent is the Chair of the Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation Board of Directors and a big fan of Leadership Sinai. “Lynn and I are honoured to host this group of young leaders who really want to make a difference for our Hospital, and who are so critical to our long term success,” said Brent. “We were so pleased that the Mayor was able to attend and recognize this group in such a significant way.”

Andrew Miller, the Chair of Leadership Sinai, together with incoming Chair, Shawn Mecklinger, congratulated the group on some big successes. Some recent highlights include: Dinner with Scientists ― a fundraising event showcasing the world-renowned research of Mount Sinai’s Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, which raised $150,000; the Golf Classic ― the 18th year of the famous golf tournament that netted over $425,000 this past year and has raised over $4.5 million in total; and the inaugural Guys’ Night Out event ― Zak Goldman’s fundraiser which netted over $50,000 for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In addition, the group is in the home stretch of achieving their 2008 pledge of raising $8 million in support of the Leadership Sinai All-Star Cancer Researchers as well as the highest priority needs of the Hospital.

The biggest announcement of the evening was the group’s outstanding new commitment to Mount Sinai, to raise $4.5 million over the next three years, part of which includes $1 million for a new surgical suite as part of the Hospital’s upcoming capital redevelopment project. This was met with immense applause and a big thank you for Brent.

“We are so humbled by this outstanding commitment from such a dedicated group,” said Brent. “As we embark on the biggest fundraising campaign in Mount Sinai’s history ― the Campaign to Make Medical History ― this early and very significant gift helps to set the stage for our future success.” This year, the Campaign will concentrate primarily on securing funds to create 19 state-of-the art surgical suites, including one robotic surgical suite and one Guided Therapeutics (GTx) surgical suite. “The fact that Leadership Sinai has already stepped up to the plate will no doubt inspire others to make similar contributions,” continued Brent. “With support like theirs, I have no doubt that we will succeed in our goal to Make Medical History.”

Mayor Rob Ford read a proclamation, congratulating Leadership Sinai for their accomplishments and commending them for the difference they continue to make in the lives of patients and families in our community. “Through many fundraising events, Leadership Sinai has helped the hospital provide the highest level of patient care, teaching and research services.” On behalf of the City of Toronto, he offered the group best wishes for continued success.

Andrew Miller told the group they should take great pride in the work they’ve done. “I am so proud to be a part of this group, and very proud of what we have accomplished together during my two years as Chair,” said Andrew. “I know that under Shawn’s leadership we will continue to do great things and will support the mission of our great hospital well into the future.”