A local farmer has donated $1 million toward the development of a Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) facility in Innisfil.
Boris Horodynsky, of Horodynsky Farms in Innisfil, made the donation Tuesday to the RVH Foundation’s Keep Life Wild campaign.
“Without our health, we have nothing,” Horodynsky said in a news release. “Farming in Innisfil for over 40 years, I have embraced an entrepreneurial spirit and drive to evolve and strengthen my onion farming operation through innovation, technology, and the use of state-of-the-art equipment. In that same vein, it was RVH’s bold and forward-thinking plan to build a health-care facility in Innisfil that inspired me to support the Keep Life Wild campaign.”
The RVH Foundation set a $100-million fundraising goal for the campaign to build a facility in Innisfil, which is intended to address the strain on the existing health centre in Barrie.
“We are so grateful to Boris for his early support of this project,” said Gail Hunt, RVH president and CEO. “When we talk of expansion, it’s not just about getting bigger; we are going far beyond what a hospital is today by completely rethinking what a hospital can be. Donor support is vital to move the project forward to the next phases of planning.”
The project will see a 200,000-square-foot facility built at Innisfil Beach Road and Yonge Street, in the largest community in the region without a hospital.
Paul Larche, chair of the RVH Foundation board of directors, thanked Horodynsky for his contribution.
“This remarkable gift from Boris and Horodynsky Farms is exemplary of the philanthropic leadership and support needed from our community,” he said. “We can’t thank Boris enough for bringing us one step closer to making our future vision a reality and ensuring that everyone in Simcoe-Muskoka will have access to more specialized, life-saving care when they need it, right here at home.”
