Paul & Karen Jackson were born and raised in Collingwood. In the 1970s they moved to Toronto so Karen could attend nursing school and moved back to town in 1981, when Karen was offered a job as a nurse on the Surgical Floor at the Collingwood G&M Hospital (CGMH).
As proud parents of 3 daughters and grandparents to 3 boys, Paul enjoys his retirement playing golf and Karen follows her late mother’s tradition of crafting and knitting baby hats for CGMH’s tiniest patients.
When asked about her experience as a nurse at CGMH, Karen’s face lit up. She described her 38 years working at CGMH as a wonderful time. “I started working in the Surgical Floor back in 1981,” recalls Karen, “and then in 1995 the Obstetrics (OBS) and Surgical departments were combined. When asked if any of the surgical nurses wanted to become OBS nurses I jumped at the opportunity. I loved every minute of my time there.”
When Karen’s mother passed away, the Jacksons decided to make a donation to the CGMH Foundation in her memory. “This was meant to be a one-time gift but then we thought: why not give monthly instead?”, explains Paul. And that is how they started their monthly giving journey.
Paul & Karen know that 90% of all CGMH equipment and technology is funded by community support and they thought it was important to make a monthly contribution. “Our donations are not large, but if there’s a big number of us doing the same thing, it all adds up,” says Paul. “We are all in this together.”
Karen has seen the impact of donations as a nurse, and both she and Paul, alongside so many monthly donors, understand that steady, ongoing funds allow the Hospital to plan and allocate resources where they are needed most.
“This is a small hospital, and they do a great job at staying on top of technology, attracting good surgeons and a great healthcare team. I think our hospital has a lot to offer, and this is part of the reason why we think it is important to donate, and we hope others will do so as well.”
– Karen Jackson
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