2C Landowners make contribution to Southlake

August 13, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Angela Gismondi

Southlake Regional Hospital Foundation has received a generous donation from a group of developers and builders.

The Aurora 2C Landowners Group presented a $750,000 cheque to the Foundation at a special reception held at the Town of Aurora municipal offices Monday.

“This is a voluntary donation on the part of the landowners recognizing they have an obligation to support health care in their community,” said Don Given, representing the 2C Landowners Group.

The 2C Landowners Group is comprised of TACC Developments Inc. and includes Arista Homes, Fieldgate Homes, Opus Homes, Paradise Homes, Mattamy Homes, Brookfield Homes, Lindvest/Aurora Glen, Meadows of Aurora – a Christian seniors lifestyle community, Metrus Developments, Country Wide Homes, Greenpark Group of Companies, Royalcliff Homes and Treasure Hill Homes. Dr. Dave Williams and Neila Poscente were on-hand to accept the cheque on behalf of the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation.

The funds will be used for Southlake’s Images for Life, a diagnostic imaging technology campaign and to support the future needs of the hospital.
“With Images of Life, we will be able to find the disease so we can treat it,” explained Williams, president and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre. “We can’t treat cancer if we can’t find cancer.”

Williams thanked the landowners for their generosity.

“I think it is a remarkable statement – the support you are providing to the community and the hospital,” said Williams. “Southlake is committed to delivering world class care close to home but we couldn’t do it without donations like this one from the Aurora 2C landowners.”

Poscente, president and CEO of the Southlake Foundation, said the donation will bring the Foundation closer to its very ambitious campaign goal.
“It is so inspiring to see business leaders taking the lead not only in terms of building houses, but recognizing the need for green space and cutting edge healthcare,” said Poscente. “Thank you to each and every one of you for having the leadership and generosity to make this gift. We are truly grateful.”

She added the donation will help the hospital bring specialized cancer testing to the Region so that patients don’t have to travel to Toronto.
Aurora Mayor Geoffrey Dawe took a leadership role and was instrumental in organizing the donation.

“It was this successful, sustainable community model that prompted me to go one step further and propose a bold idea to the 2C Landowners,” said Dawe. “Why not use this model Aurora development and positive working collaboration to establish a legacy of healthy living for the greater community? My proposal was simple – donate a portion of every home sold to the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation to support critical need areas at Southlake. The response to my proposal was nothing short of remarkable – $750,000 over four years to support Southlake’s Images for Life campaign to help purchase cutting-edge imaging and diagnostic technology along with funding for other priority areas of healthcare.”
The announcement from the 2C Landowners Group will benefit residents for years to come, added Dawe.

“Today is a very exciting day for The Town of Aurora as we celebrate innovation, collaboration and philanthropy,” stated Dawe. “This generous donation from the 2C Landowners Group establishes a benchmark for excellence, philanthropy and civic commitment. I am delighted that I could bring together this dedicated group of individuals to create a legacy of excellence and giving that will benefit Aurora for generations to come. To the representatives of the 2C Landowners, the Town of Aurora thanks you for your generosity and your vision towards a healthy, vibrant and green community and commitment to the tens of thousands who depend on Southlake Regional Health Centre to deliver advanced healthcare service.”

Aurora’s 2C lands – comprising 224-hectares on our northeast border – represent the last major developable area in the town. Once fully built out, the lands will provide 3,000 single, semi-detached units, townhouses and seniors apartments for about 9,000 new residents. In addition to the new homes, the development will feature playgrounds, ponds and forests.

The Aurora 2C public space includes 15.8 kilometres of planned trails linking parklands, environmental protection areas and an urban wildlife park, including the Ducks Unlimited property and the McLeod Wood Nature Reserve. Natural environmental areas will be protected with over 40 per cent of the lands set aside for public green space and a trail system which will connect the 2C lands to the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Town of Newmarket.
The development has taken over a decade to come to fruition but will be a unique community.

“This is going to be one of the communities that stands out in this region,” said Given.