September 4, 2018
Welcome to E-Connect
Happy September,

And happy first day back to school! The end of summer is an exciting time filled with Fall activities and events which we are eager to share with you all through E-Connect as we continue our busy work of changing lives at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

Beginning with today's E-Connect, read our last post for Happiness Happens month 2018, some impressive stories of Our People's children, and a project from our dreams .

Wishing you all the best,
Maciah
Our Patients
Learning Happiness from children
As we wrap up another joyou s Happiness Happens  Month, we, once again, asked the children in our RCC programs what makes them happy.
 
Check out their responses below. A common theme: Mom's are the best!
 
Wishing you all continued happiness each and every day!
Celebrating the role of recovery
Once again this year, a number of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare's Addictions and Mental Health programs are eager to share their knowledge and connect those in our community battling addictions to the resources they need as part of Recovery Day Windsor 2018.

Recovery Days are held across Canada throughout the month of September, aiming to celebrate the success of those who have found recovery, while supporting those who are still battling their addictions. The interactive day brings together healthcare and addictions professionals, community supports, recovering addicts, and many more.

At this year's event, held on Saturday, September 15th, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare will have four tables with professionals from our Problem Gambling, Withdrawal Management, Transitional Stability Centre, and Addiction Assessment and Referral programs.

We hope to see you there!
Our People
Here's to Our Peoples' People
As you've read through many E-Connects, we have so many talented, generous, and overall outstanding people at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, whom we love to share stories about.

Outstanding people naturally attract other outstanding people and, ultimately, create them as well!

Today's Our People articles feature a few of Our Peoples' People, also known as: their children.
He shoots, he scores big!
In his short 20 years, Teddy McGeen has accomplished significant successes, particularly in the world of ice hockey.
 
The oldest son of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s Sheri McGeen, Director of Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety, Teddy has been showing off, and improving, his talents since he started playing travel hockey when he was only seven.
 
Teddy has an impressive resume as alumni for a number of Junior and Minor Hockey Leagues including Windsor Jr. Spitfires, Chatham Maroons, Blenheim Blades, and most recently, Wellington Dukes where he helped lead his team to compete for the National Championship RBC Cup hosted this year in Chilliwack, British Columbia.
 
As top goal scorer for the Dukes, it is no surprise that Teddy has caught the attention of scouts from US schools. We are excited to share that Teddy has committed to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.
 
Hockey isn’t the only thing Teddy has his sights on though. His studies are equally important and he plans to complete the pre-med program at St. Lawrence, with hopes of becoming a doctor in the future.
 
Congrats Teddy!
Aleksa Simovic (number 13) pictured with Team Ontario - Red (Team Leknois).
Spiking his way to Team Ontario
When talking to Ivana Simovic, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare Payroll Specialist, the pride she has for her son, Aleksa, shines brightly through her eyes and in her voice – and for good reason.
 
At a young 16 years, Aleksa already has an impressive trophy case filled with his athletic and intellectual accomplishments. His latest achievement? Being selected to play among some of the best in the province as part of Team Ontario’s Volleyball Team.
 
A naturally tall child, Aleksa loved sports growing up and quickly found his calling playing the high jumping and spike-filled game. Having first played with Riverside Sports at age 12, Aleksa has since been playing for SKY Volley’s 16U team where he attracted the attention of members from the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) at provincials this past April.
 
Aleksa was among 50 other Ontarians invited to attend the High Performance Camp hosted by OVA in North Bay back in July. His passion, efforts, and skills shown at the camp landed him a seat on Team Ontario’s 2018 roster where his position of middle blocker helped his team finish fifth overall at the Canada Cup in Richmond, British Columbia.
 
“We are so proud of him,” says Ivana. “From this experience, I hope he learned that all his hard work, every effort, sweat, and struggle, pays off in the end.”
 
Aside from volleyball, Aleksa also possesses impressive academic talents at École secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse, has obtained an International Baccalaureate Diploma, speaks English, Serbian, and French, and ultimately aspires to have a career in healthcare as a surgeon.
 
Despite his extraordinary talents, Aleksa is still just an average teenager who enjoys hanging out with his buddies, playing games, travelling, McDonald’s, and Popeyes chicken.
Our Identity
Let the Dream building begin
On Friday, August 24th, BK Cornerstone Design-Build Ltd., alongside In Honour of the Ones We Loves, Inc., Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and the Community Support Centre of Essex County broke ground on "The Dream Project". 

"The Dream Project", coined by BK Cornerstone President, Ben Klundert is all about making dreams come true, while placing a large emphasis on mental health and its impact on our community. "Mental illness impacts entire communities, from the impact of loosing people we deeply care about to suicide, to the long range effects it has on community services such as police services and EMS. The affects of these illnesses are so broad that we dare to try to combat them," Klundert expressed. 

"We must come together as a community and unite our forces to inflict meaningful change. We must begin to treat the illness and not treat the after affects of having these illnesses. We just need to start."

1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health illness. Members of our community saw a need to make an impact on this staggering stat.

The BK Cornerstone Design-Build Ltd. team will be building a beautiful custom home (pictured above) which will be sold. Proceeds made from the sale will go to In Honour of the Ones We Love, Inc., who will then donate the funds to Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Community Support Centre of Essex County to support local mental health initiatives. This unique and exciting fundraising event will raise funds for Mental Health and Addictions that will remain within our community for our citizens. Specifically, the Community Support Centre will be building a centre for the youth of Essex-County. In addition, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare looks forward to augmenting existing services by reducing waitlists and enhancing services and support for those at risk.

"Over the past several years we have been challenged with an increased demand to provide support, programs and services for our fellow citizens who are challenged by mental health and addictions issues," explained Janice Kaffer, President and CEO of Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. "Some have described the recent events associated with the use of crystal meth and the use of opioids as a 'crisis reaching epidemic proportions'. No matter how it is characterized and no matter who it impacts, the bottom line is that there are citizens of our community in crisis; they are suffering daily; their family members are suffering daily; and many are dying. We are so thankful to In Honour and BK Cornerstone for their generosity to our community."

For those interested in being a part of "The Dream Project", BK Cornerstone is currently looking for volunteers and companies to donate supplies. As well, they are looking for items ranging from water and food for our volunteers, to the actual building supplies for the home.
Grace us with your stories
The year 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of the former Salvation Army Grace Hospital and we want to hear your stories!

We are asking former Grace staff and alumni to help commemorate the upcoming momentous occasion with their stories, photographs and/or mementos. Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is dedicated to keeping the Spirit of Grace alive!

Willing to share your experiences or know someone who used to work at Grace? Email Nicole Hutchinson in Communications.
Postcard of the former Salvation Army Grace Hospital - circa 1950. Source: Mike Skreptak Collection, SWODA.