Young leaders “Give-ER!” for St. Michael’s Hospital
By Jackielou Perez 
One night of fun, a lifetime of impact. With 32 members, the St. Michael’s Young Leaders have raised a cumulative total of $330,000 in four years for St. Michael’s Hospital. In November, the committee put on its 4th annual Young Leaders cocktail party, The Giver, to raise funds for St. Michael’s Inner City Health Program.
Lesley Houston, a major gifts officer at St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, took the time to chat about the Young Leaders and The Giver.
1. What is The Giver?
The Giver is a cocktail party in November geared towards young professionals. It features a raffle with excellent prizes, midnight snacks (this year Smokes Poutinerie parked their truck out front for us), and an open bar sponsored by ABSOLUT vodka, Molson M, and WineOnline.ca.
2. Why was it started?
The Giver is one of the events put on by the St. Michael’s Young Leaders (SMYL) group, which has been raising funds for priority projects at St. Michael's Hospital and cultivating the next generation of board members and donors for four years. This year, we have raised over $140,000 including just under $50,000 at The Giver. Our cumulative total raised over the course of four years is over $335,000.
3. In what ways has SMYL given back?
In our first year we raised $30,000, which funded a graduate studies room in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute (one of St. Michael’s new buildings). From our second year onwards, we have funded projects that focus on the Inner City Health program (including equipment for the Emergency Room and numerous items for the pediatrics clinic). We have also provided ongoing funding for the Baby & Me Passport program, a program unique to St. Michael's that provides resources and incentives to young, underhoused and addicted pregnant women to encourage them to attend their prenatal appointments.
4. Why is this a cause close you?
I think it is so important to educate our generation about the importance of giving back to hospitals. I think our generation grasps the concept of giving back in general, but a common misconception is that since health care is publicly funded, hospitals don’t need donations. What many people don’t realize is that while the government funds the basics, private donations allow us to stay ahead of the curve with innovative programs, state-of- the-art equipment and groundbreaking research.
5. Tell me about your annual events, including the most recent.
The Young Leaders hold three annual events: The Giver cocktail party in November, The Dodger dodgeball tournament at Steam Whistle Brewery in September (18 teams compete in costume with 500 spectators to cheer them on), and The Duffer, our new golf event in July.
8. How can people get involved or get more information?
St. Michael’s Young Leaders has a Facebook group that anyone is welcome to “like” to join. There we provide information about our upcoming events, photos from our meetings and parties, and news from the Hospital.
