Sunnybrook Rose Awards

The Rose Award is an honour bestowed by Sunnybrook Foundation. The Foundation’s Donor Relations Committee is responsible for reviewing nominees, based on the eligibility criteria, and selecting the Volunteer Leadership and Hospital Leadership Rose Awards recipients and approving the Foundation’s recommendation for Community Fundraiser and Corporate Partner.

Background

Since 2008, the Sunnybrook Rose Award has celebrated the extraordinary efforts of volunteers and hospital staff who help Sunnybrook achieve its philanthropic objectives, in turn contributing to the advancement of care across the hospital.

Created for Sunnybrook by Alexandre and Jeannine Raab, long-standing donors and dedicated volunteers to the hospital, the Sunnybrook Rose is a symbol of the determination we see in our philanthropic volunteers.

Alexandre and Jeannine immigrated to Canada after surviving the Second World War. Once here, they were drawn to Sunnybrook’s legacy as a hospital for veterans and by our transformation into a major academic health sciences centre.

The Raabs, avid horticulturalists and entrepreneurs, carefully chose the hybrid tea rose for Sunnybrook after several years of testing and observation in the field. Its buds are a deep, vibrant yellow that resist fading even when fully mature. Rose Award honourees share many of the qualities that characterize the rose: they are unique individuals who uplift those around them, and they demonstrate perseverance during challenging times.

In 2024, Sunnybrook Foundation introduced additional Rose Awards to recognize and celebrate community event volunteers and corporate partners: the Community Fundraiser and Corporate Partner categories.

Eligibility & Nomination Criteria

The Rose Awards recognize the exemplary efforts of people who have rallied community support for Sunnybrook, as well as hospital staff for outstanding work to support Sunnybrook’s philanthropic objectives. It is presented when appropriate and to only the most deserving nominees. Foundation employees are ineligible for recognition of work done while employed by Sunnybrook Foundation.

Criteria for the Volunteer Leadership and Hospital Leadership awards is as follows:

• Leadership and organizational ability relating to philanthropy
• Time, effort and commitment to Sunnybrook
• Success in recruiting and motivating individuals
• Goals achieved by their effort

Criteria for the Community Fundraiser and Corporate Partner awards is as follows:

• These awards are recommended by Foundation staff to the Donor Relations Committee. The Foundation reviews potential community event volunteers and corporate partners based on a pre-determined criteria and available data (e.g. length of involvement, lifetime giving). A formal nomination is not required for the Community Fundraiser and Corporate Partner awards.

Past Volunteer and Hospital Leadership Rose Award recipients

Past Community Fundraiser and Corporate Partner Rose Awards recipients

2024

• Ontario Energy Network Golf Tournament
• RBC Royal Bank

In Memorium

Sunnybrook wishes to recognize and honour our dear Rose Award recipients who have passed away:

• Mr. Derek Walton, 1944 – 2015
• Mr. George Fierheller, 1933 – 2020
• Mr. Terry O’Sullivan, 1947 – 2022
• Dr. Sherif Hanna, 1948 – 2022

Submission criteria for Volunteer Leadership and Hospital Leadership Rose Awards

Any member of the Sunnybrook Community, including present and past Foundation staff, may nominate individuals which may include members of the Board and Donor Relations Committee.

If no selection is made in a given year, the nomination will be kept on file for 2 years and the nominator may be asked to provide additional or updated materials for the Committee’s consideration in subsequent years. The Committee will only select one individual per category unless an extenuating circumstance arises.

We welcome submissions for Volunteer Leadership and Hospital Leadership that include a completed nomination form and a supporting narrative that is no longer than two pages. Additional documents that support the narrative – for instance, an endorsement letter – are also encouraged, though we request that no more than six pages of supporting documentation be provided.

Although Rose Awards are typically given annually, the Foundation staff will make a strategic recommendation to the Donor Relations Committee to create a Rose Award event to maximize engagement and streamline event expenses.

Deadline for nomination submissions is Monday, February 10, 2025 at 5 p.m.

Download the nomination form (PDF).

Completed nomination forms and narratives may be submitted to:

Umeeda Madhany
Chair, Donor Relations Committee
c/o Kelly Carmichael
Sunnybrook Foundation
2075 Bayview Ave. Suite KGW01
Toronto, ON M4N 3M5

For more information or nomination forms, please contact Kelly Carmichael at kelly.carmichael@sunnybrook.ca. All nominations are to be given and reviewed in confidence.