Jane Watson (left) joined with daughter Sarah, prepare the gifts they will bring to patients at St. Joseph's on Christmas Eve, as part of Project Hope.


Jane and Ian Watson collect gifts to bring to patients.


The Project Hope Team - from left to right: Ian, Sarah, Jane, Lisandro (front) Lisa, Laura and Bill.

For the 6th straight year, Project Hope will once again be visiting our patients on Christmas Eve, to bring a little holiday cheer to those who will spend the holidays recovering at St. Joseph's. Approximately 300 gifts will be handed out to our patients as part of Project Hope.

Jane Watson and her family continue to bring Project Hope to St. Joseph's in honour of her son, who was rushed to our Emergency department and tragically passed away several years ago.

Giving back to their local community hospital through Project Hope has been a way for Jane and her family to cope with their loss, but also to say thank you for the great care they received. "It's all about giving back," said Watson. "St. Joe's was wonderful to my family during a very difficult time. The staff was so compassionate. We have never forgotten that."

When Watson first started Project Hope at St. Joseph's, she raised funds to buy the gifts for our patients through selling a casual line of clothing and pyjamas. In recent years, she has been fortunate enough to have the gifts donated to her for this initiative.

AnnMarie Marcolin, Manager of Community Engagement and Urban Health, collaborates with the Watsons year after year to bring Project Hope to our patients for the holidays.

"There are absolutely no words that can sufficiently describe the gift of joy that Ian and Jane bring to our patients through Project Hope," said Marcolin. "I've seen patients sing, hold onto Jane's hand (and not want to let go), smile and cry with happiness knowing that they are remembered during the holiday season. The Watsons are a true gift to St. Joseph's."

To Watson and her family, visiting with patients at the Health Centre and bringing them a gift to lift their spirits on Christmas Eve is so important and something they enjoying doing together as a family every year.

"Christmas can be a very difficult and lonely time for people in hospital. Spending a couple of minutes with each patient can really make a difference to them," said Watson. "It lets them know that someone is thinking about them; that they are not forgotten. Every year someone will tell me that this will be the only gift they receive and that we will be their only visitors. That definitely makes our visit worthwhile," she said.

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Page last updated: April 30, 2010