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Last year’s Annual Mount Sinai Classic, presented by Equitable Bank and Peerage Capital Partners, was a resounding success, surpassing its fundraising goal by raising more than $450,000 in support of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute.
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With necessary health and safety protocols in place, staff and players alike were able to safely enjoy a beautiful sunny day last August at Goodwood Golf Club in Stouffville, Ont.
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Louis de Melo, CEO of Sinai Health Foundation, noted that since its inception 26 years ago, the Mount Sinai Classic has raised over $10 million for Mount Sinai Hospital. “This is an incredible accomplishment,” said de Melo, “made possible with thanks to donor support.”

In early 2021, Sinai Health received a transformational $21-million gift that will reimagine the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), providing critical support for an area that has played a key role in the ongoing COVID-19 response.
 
The gift from Shawn Kimel, longtime Sinai Health supporter, and his partner Kate Schatzky will not only support the redevelopment of a state-of-the-art ICU at Mount Sinai Hospital, but will also contribute to groundbreaking research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute.

Sinai Health is deeply grateful for this transformational gift and for all our donors’ generous support.

Read more about the impact of this life-changing gift here. 

The Hold’em for Life Oncology Fellowship Program is a transformative commitment to oncology research and education at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and its partner hospitals, including Mount Sinai.

Since its creation in 2007, Hold’em for Life has tremendously increased the capacity for cancer research for Toronto-area hospitals. Sinai Health is proud to be a beneficiary of the charity’s efforts to support the very best clinician-scientists in the city.

In 2019, Hold'em for Life committed $16.4 million to establish a fellowship program, which sponsors up to 40 oncology fellows annually.
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“It has been incredibly rewarding to be involved with Hold’em, and contributing to a cause that provides fellows with the financial support they need to focus on their groundbreaking research,” says Hold’em co-chair, Gavin Cheung. “It is always inspiring to hear the fellows speak about their innovative research, and so motivating to know the Hold’em fellowships are instrumental in making this research a reality.”
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Christine Brezden-Masley, medical director of Sinai Health’s cancer program, agrees, saying the Hold’em fellowship “allows us to continue striving for excellence in research, thereby improving clinical outcomes.”

Abdulazeez Salawu, a sarcoma researcher, is a 2020/2021 Hold’em fellow at Mount Sinai Hospital. Since starting his fellowship, Salawu says he feels fortunate to be the recipient of high-quality mentoring within Mount Sinai’s internationally renowned sarcoma program, the largest in Canada. His work aims to improve the cure rates of sarcoma by identifying patients who have residual traces of cancer in their bloodstream. 
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“The fellowship has contributed to my development as a sarcoma physician and researcher,” says Salawu. “The Hold'em for Life Fellowship grant has been a wonderful springboard to this ongoing career-building experience, for which I am most grateful.” 

For his work, Salawu has received a 2021 Merit Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

If there’s one thing the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it’s that incredible creativity and innovation can result from a crisis.
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When the organizers of the Sinai Health Foundation’s annual Duck & Dodge dodgeball tournament realized an in-person event was not possible in 2020, they did what so many of us have done over the past year: They pivoted.
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Duck & Dodge was created in 2019 by Claire and Craig Rankine in support of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) to help sustain its funding for research into neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). As a baby, Claire and Craig’s now 11-year-old son Jonathan was diagnosed with NF1, a rare genetic disorder with no cure.
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In 2020, the Duck & Dodge event was reinvented as a virtual, interactive trivia event for kids and grown-ups alike. Participants learned about the cause and had snack packages delivered right to their door to enjoy during the game.
The event, held in December, surpassed its fundraising goal to raise more than $100,000 for the LTRI.

In a year when in-person fundraising events proved impossible, Sinai Health Foundation hosted its first streamathon. 
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An incredible lineup of celebrities, athletes and online gamers from Canada and around the world came together last May for Sinai Live, a livestream event that raised more than $64,000 for front-line workers, and introduced a whole new audience to Sinai Health.
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"Sinai Live achieved outstanding reach with thousands of unique views,” said Louis de Melo, CEO of Sinai Health Foundation, “and gave Torontonians a fun and engaging way to connect and show their support.”
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Toronto Mayor John Tory and Canadian television host Ben Mulroney kicked off the event with a live Q&A, followed by messages from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Hosts Marissa Roberto (TSN), Faizal Khamisa (Sportsnet) and tech expert Amber Mac led viewers through 11 hours of programming, with appearances from other well-known Canadians including Family Feud host, Gerry Dee, and Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC radio’s “White Coat, Black Art.”

Go to Sinai Live.

Sinai Health Love Locks, an installation on University Avenue in the heart of downtown Toronto, is a symbol of community, courage and resilience. 
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Created by Sinai Health Foundation, the Love Locks initiative raises funds for Sinai Health’s highest priority needs, including support for front-line workers and COVID-19 patients. Funds from Love Locks will also help fuel discovery research at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, including work on treatments and better testing for COVID-19.
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People are encouraged to tag #SinaiLove when they share their Love Lock on social media. For more information, go to sinailove.ca.

In the early days of the pandemic, Sinai Health Foundation (SHF) was seeking ways to stay in touch with its donors and community. One of the first steps to achieving open lines of communication was to continue sharing Sinai Health's world-leading expertise with audiences via virtual town halls. These began as audio calls, but soon moved to video conferences on Zoom.
 
SHF hosted eight town halls in 2020 on topics ranging from testing protocols to research updates, mental health support and pregnancy care, among others. In 2021, SHF has engaged professional broadcasters — Global News anchor Farah Nasser and Melanie Ng from CityNews — to moderate town hall forums on COVID-19 vaccinations and navigating the pandemic’s third wave. A testament to their popularity, each of the last three events attracted an average of 2,400 registrants. 
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Watch our town halls here.