In 2021, when Kathryn Tremblay received the CEO of the year award in Ottawa, she was asked what her billboard sign would read. “What’s possible?” was her answer. Those two words — that simple question — have helped guide her professionally and personally over the years.

As co-founder and CEO of Canada’s leading independent staffing firm, Altis Recruitment, Kathryn grew the company from the ground up with her business partner, Toni Guimaraes. The pair were in their early 20s when they started the company in an apartment in the Byward Market with no employees, but they had big dreams.

Over the years, their business prospered, their relationship grew, and they welcomed four daughters. In 2016, Kathryn and her family were devastated when Toni passed away from advanced prostate cancer. He was just 51 years old.

Those two words, which had helped Toni and Kathryn build their business into the success that it was, would now hold new meaning. “After Toni passed away, I had to reimagine what was possible for me. When we were starting out, we looked at what’s possible as entrepreneurs, and what’s possible to become great employers,” explains Kathryn. “But the distinction there is that once I was on my own, it was different.”

When it came time to redefine what was possible, she explored what it’s like to be an equitable employer, a single mom, as well as an ally for diversity. “It’s how you light up that possibility for others,” says Kathryn.

“I’d encourage anyone to get involved at any level that you can. That financial contribution will mean a new, well-designed, state-of-the-art facility that will make a difference to you as you age, and it will make a difference to your children and grandchildren. I think of it as a kind of generational give back.”

— Kathryn Tremblay

Devoted parents instill desire to help others

Philanthropy also plays an important role in this business leader’s life, and The Ottawa Hospital is a charity close to Kathryn’s heart. Giving is a quality she learned as a young girl growing up in Orleans. “I had extremely devoted parents. We didn’t have a lot financially, but emotionally, in my home, it was a special place,” she recalls. “My parents told me every day they believed in me. Telling me, ‘We stand with you, we stand behind you, we’re here to lift you up.’ And on a difficult day, my dad would be the person who’d come to sit with me and give me some encouragement.”

Kathryn utilized that encouragement as a springboard to help others. “It’s not enough for me to be grateful for what I have. But it’s about how I can show that gratitude towards others, like newcomers to our country, to The Ottawa Hospital or Christie Lake Kids, which was where my husband went as an underprivileged child. And when you give, you get back because you’re making a difference to someone else.”

On May 24, 2022, Kathryn combined her love of art and desire to give back to support our hospital through Art for Impact. It was a week-long online auction featuring a wide range of art from 21 local artists. All proceeds supported the Campaign to Create Tomorrow, and the event raised more than $25,000.

“When you’re attracting talent, you need great schools and state-of-the-art healthcare. So those two things are almost like the pillars that lift the possibility of wanting to live here in Ottawa.”

– Kathryn Tremblay 

“What a great opportunity to give back to the next generation.”

Thankfully, Kathryn’s interest in the Campaign didn’t stop there. She’s donated $200,000 to the Campaign in support of the new campus development on Carling Avenue and world-leading research.

“The hospital and the new campus are a major pillar for our entire city,” says Kathryn. “I’d encourage anyone to get involved at any level that you can. That financial contribution will mean a new, well-designed, state-of-the-art facility that will make a difference to you as you age, and it will make a difference to your children and grandchildren. I think of it as a kind of generational give back.”

When it came time to consider a gift to the Campaign, Kathryn just had to look to those around her — starting with her four daughters, who were all born at the Civic Campus — and to her late husband. “We needed so much around us in terms of advisors and a team of doctors,” she explains. “I felt they really cared to save my husband’s life. Now, he had very advanced and aggressive cancer, so that was not to be, but the effort that the entire team put into trying to save his life was special. That would be the primary reason why I give.”

But she also looks at what’s possible for healthcare in the future. “I would like to see that our city has something new and modern. And when you think of the aging population, we have this 100-year-old hospital — doesn’t it make sense that the hospital is modernized?” And when Kathryn puts her CEO hat back on, there are big possibilities as well. “When you’re attracting talent, you need great schools and state-of-the-art healthcare. So those two things are almost like the pillars that lift the possibility of wanting to live here in Ottawa.”

For Sol and Zelaine Shinder, the Jewish concept of tzedakah — of giving back — holds great significance. Throughout their long tradition of generosity in the community, including to The Ottawa Hospital, there have been certain numbers, milestones you could say, that hold significance and help paint the picture of their legacy.

For example, they have just welcomed their 409^th family member to the Shinder family tree. Each time someone joins the family, either through birth or marriage, they are presented with a special Shinder t-shirt, emblazoned with a photo of Sol’s grandfather.

Then, there’s the incredible 62 years that Sol and Zelaine have been married. In those years, they’ve welcomed two children and five grandchildren, several of whom were born at the Civic Campus.

The Civic is set to celebrate its own significant milestone when it turns 100 in 2024. It was built the same year that Sol’s grandfather moved his family to Canada. It was a decision that would be as fortuitous for Sol and Zelaine as it would be for Ottawa. The Shinders’ commitment to community reaches far back into the family history, with both Sol and Zelaine having been taught the importance of tzedakah.

“Excellent hospitals are the very fabric of every great city. It is critical that we have outstanding healthcare and education in Ottawa to attract the very best talent and provide the very best care.”

— Sol Shinder 

“We can only help by becoming involved and helping ourselves,” Sol Shinder has said. And they have truly lived by those words.

Sol served 12 years on the Board of Governors of The Civic Hospital and was Chair of the board during the 1998 amalgamation of all three Campuses — remaining on as one of only four founding trustees. Sol first became involved because of his deep desire to help patients and improve care. This still holds true today.

Sol was a longtime volunteer in the Jewish Community and was President of the Vaad Ha’Ir (now the Jewish Federation of Ottawa) from 1979 to 1981. In 1986, the community awarded Sol its highest honour — the Gilbert Greenberg Distinguished Service Award. Zelaine shared this deep commitment to community as a lifelong volunteer, teacher, and then founder and director of the Jewish Resource Centre, which provided Judaic teaching aids to Ottawa’s public and private schools. Having followed in the footsteps of their parents, whom they describe as community builders, Sol and Zelaine have in turn instilled those same philanthropic values in their children and grandchildren — creating an ongoing legacy of tzedakah.

And so, there is one more number that tells the story of the Shinder family and marks an important milestone in their continuing impact on the community. In the Jewish faith, 18 stands for “chai” or “life.” It is an omen of good luck and prosperity. And for that reason, Sol and Zelaine have pledged $180,000 to the Campaign to Create Tomorrow — a lifeline of luck they hope will inspire others to donate.

For the Shinders, the future will undoubtably see new family members welcomed into the fold, more anniversaries celebrated, and new milestones created. But most importantly, their legacy of leadership and generosity will continue to make a lasting impact on our community.

The true leaders in a community are those who step forward when they hear the call for help, use their position to lift up those around them, and inspire others to do the same.

It is that kind of leadership that drives the Mierins family to give back in significant ways.

Lisa Mierins says her family has personally experienced exceptional care at The Ottawa Hospital over the years, especially when both her parents required hospitalization. In fact, her father, Arnis, was on life support twice in the years before he passed away in 2020. “Both the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit teams were unbelievable. They took good care of all of us and took us by the hand at a very difficult time.”

“The Ottawa Hospital is leading the way in the future in healthcare, and we all need to do our part.”

— Lisa Mierins

That compassionate care is what inspires their family to support The Ottawa Hospital — and now, they are using their leadership to motivate others in the community to join them.

From November 1st until December 31st, 2022, the Mierins Family Foundation will match all one-time donations up to a total of $1 million. They hope the opportunity to have a gift doubled will inspire others who recognize the importance of The Ottawa Hospital in our community and the connection we all have to the high-quality care it provides.

“The Ottawa Hospital is leading the way in the future in healthcare, and we all need to do our part,” says Lisa. “Right now, we have an opportunity to move our hospital — and our community — forward.”

The Mierins Family Foundation was created in 2018 with Lisa and her brother, Arnie Mierins, at the helm as co-presidents. The team also includes her sister-in-law, Victoria Mierins, and one of Lisa’s sons, Patrick Bourque. Philanthropy has long been a core value of the family with their strong desire to support their community. And with this most recent gift, they hope to see their family’s $1 million transformed into $2 million for the hospital.

“The Ottawa Hospital has treated us like family. They’ve been amazing to us, so we wanted to do something in return for them. We’ve been very blessed in our lives, and this is our way to give back to the community,” says Lisa.

“It is our obligation to do something, and big or small, every donation counts. The Ottawa Hospital was there for my family, and we know how comforting it is to be in a great facility that cares and goes beyond expectations.”

— Lisa Mierins

She adds it’s an opportunity for community members to double their donation and have a bigger impact—no matter what the size of gift. “It can be a $10 donation, which then becomes a $20 donation.”

“Every great city needs a state-of-the-art hospital,” says Lisa. “It is not an option to do nothing. It is our obligation to do something, and big or small, every donation counts. The Ottawa Hospital was there for my family, and we know how comforting it is to be in a great facility that cares and goes beyond expectations.”

Growing up in Mumbai, India, Dr. Pradeep Merchant dreamed of becoming a doctor. His father’s youngest brother was a physician, and Dr. Merchant saw him to be a role model — one who helped chart his path for the future.

That path saw Dr. Merchant immigrate to Canada in the mid 80s, where he enrolled at Queen’s University to study pediatrics. A super-specialty in neonatology captured his interest and took him to SickKids in Toronto, where he finished his training. But he was soon enticed to come to The Ottawa Hospital, and his interest in a research fellowship solidified that decision — that was 30 years ago.

Ottawa is where Dr. Merchant and his wife, Anita, would call home and raise their family. For the past 25 years, Dr. Merchant has been the Site Chief of the neonatology division at Civic Campus of our hospital, where he’s dedicated himself to caring for our tiniest and most vulnerable patients. He has been their voice — always championing for the latest technology and tools to care for pre-mature babies and their mothers.

“We’ve done so well with an almost 100-year-old building at the Civic Campus serving the population — you can just imagine what the New Campus Development will mean.”

– Dr. Pradeep Merchant

That dedication includes making our hospital the best it can be. For Dr. Merchant, that means giving back by volunteering on the Board of Directors of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, and most recently, as a Campaign Executive for the Campaign to Create Tomorrow.

In addition to this latest role, it was important to both him and Anita to support the Campaign with a significant donation — and they hope it will inspire others to give as well. That’s why they’ve committed to matching the contributions of new monthly donors until November 15th, for up to $50,000.

They believe the Campaign, which focuses on taking research to unprecedented heights and supporting the construction of the New Campus Development on Carling Avenue, will be a game changer for the city. “We’ve done so well with an almost 100-year-old building at the Civic Campus serving the population — you can just imagine what the New Campus Development will mean. It will be an absolute marvel of engineering. So, when you look at a building of that stature, not only are we going to provide the best possible care, but what excites me is we are going to attract the best physicians from around the world,” he says.

Dr. Merchant doesn’t shy away from sharing that message with others in our community — including the Indo-Canadian community, with whom he has worked closely over the years. “Philanthropy starts from within and at home. So, when people see I’m not just coming and talking, but I’m doing what I can do to help, I hope it inspires them to want to do what they can to help as well. Because when you have amazing, transformational, cutting-edge healthcare within our city, it benefits everybody, not just a few people.”

It’s the people of our city and their future that truly motivates Dr. Merchant to be a part of this important campaign. “While my career is in its twilight years, I’m as excited as when I started at this hospital in 1992, because this is just a phenomenal opportunity for us to contribute or be part of this entire movement, and to deliver the very best healthcare to the community for the next 100 years.”

“Philanthropy starts from within and at home. So, when people see I’m not just coming and talking, but I’m doing what I can do to help, I hope it inspires them to want to do what they can to help as well.”

– Dr. Pradeep Merchant

Dr. Merchant’s philanthropy and tireless efforts to give back over the past several decades are not lost on anyone. He received one of the highest honours when he was awarded the Order of Canada in 2021. “Canada has given me so much and to get the call from the Governor General’s office, even today, chokes me up. I’m humbled and honoured. It’s not something I ever anticipated or expected. I thank not only our country but our society for making me what I am today.”