Sharon Hodder and Michael Steel
Michael’s father had a very early connection to Credit Valley Hospital: his farm sat right next to the land where the hospital was built.
While many people at the time thought building a hospital in the middle of nowhere was crazy, Jim Percy Steel knew the population would grow and the hospital’s services would be greatly in need. He started supporting the hospital before the first brick was laid and he was very proud of his foresight and support.
When Jim passed away, his son Michael continued that support – adding to his already generous donations in honour of his dad. Michael’s wife Sharon Hodder explains, “You can never take it for granted that a hospital will always be there, so it is incumbent on any community to invest in and secure its future.”
Michael and Sharon have generously donated $250,000 to the Foundation stewarding funds to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Says Sharon, “I wanted the money to go to an area where it would make an immediate difference. We are humbled and proud to know we’ve contributed to something so important that it in turn brings such benefit to so many.”
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is designated as a Regional Level II Centre for newborn care. It opened in May as part of newly built A&H Wing housing the Erin Mills Women and Children’s Health Centre, where the new unit is located. Already three of the four pods containing cribs have been opened to serve the needs of critically ill or premature babies.