For immediate release
Ottawa, Ontario - The Forget for a Moment Foundation is launching a fundraising campaign for the creation of a living wall measuring over 27 square meters (approx. 300 square feet). It will be installed in the Services for Seniors waiting room of the new Orléans Health Hub, scheduled to open in summer 2021.
This living wall will be the first of its kind in Canada: a design representing a Monarch butterfly wing, adorned with coloured blown glass bubbles. This will also be the first Ontario project for the Foundation and will serve seniors, a group that has suffered tremendously during the current pandemic. “Now more than ever, during this pandemic, we are all recognizing the importance of reconnecting with nature,” said Michel Gauthier, President of the Forget for a Moment Foundation's Board of Directors.
The objective is to raise $100,000 for the living wall. For the campaign, the green wall has been turned into a giant jigsaw puzzle. Donors have the opportunity to donate one or more pieces of the virtual puzzle, depending on the amount that they donate. There is also a corporate donor program.
Jeannine Lafrenière, Founder and President Emeritus of the Foundation, knows first-hand about the stress and anxiety experienced by patients in health care establishments: “After spending countless hours in hospital waiting rooms after a cancer diagnosis in 2008, I became motivated to bring nature into health centres,” shared Jeannine. “Having greenery in the waiting room would have helped me tremendously during a very difficult and stressful time.”
Numerous studies prove that nature has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of residents and patients, but also on the professional caregivers and health workers. Published studies have found that adding greenery to the sterile hospital environment has the following effects:
- Reduced stress and anxiety for both patients and staff;
- Faster recovery, leading to shorter hospital stays;
- Reduced pain, evidenced by lower intake of painkillers;
- Increased mobility and independence; and
- Higher quality of life for chronic and terminal patients
Contact:
Michel Gauthier
President, Board of Directors
Forget for a Moment Foundation
613-301-4554
michel@gauthiersalame.com
The Forget For A Moment Foundation is a registered charity based in Ottawa. Its mission is to integrate green spaces into hospitals, rehabilitation centres and long-term care facilities. The Foundation’s first project was completed in 2017 with the installation of a living wall at the CHSLD Ernest-Brisson Long-Term Care Centre in Gatineau, Quebec.
The Foundation Forget For A Moment is proud to count the Fondation franco-ontarienne as a valuable partner in this fundraising campaign.
