Thanks to a popular campaign, a brand-new gazebo was revealed at Hospice Simcoe in Barrie. Funded entirely by the Tim Horton’s Smile Campaign, the outdoor space is bigger and better than the previous gazebo at the hospice, which needed several repairs. The structure is designed for patients and families to gather outdoors while being both accessible and protected from the elements. “People at end of life really appreciate being able to get outside,” says Kelly Hubbard, executive director for Hospice Simcoe. “And they can’t necessarily get outside using their body, so they need to come out in a bed. They’re just too frail to come out any other way, so to have a large outside space that is covered from the elements—wind, rain and sun—it’s just something we feel is really important, and patients really do benefit from it.” The gazebo is also a space that will be used for special occasions and celebrations. “I think the Smile Cookie Campaign, which everyone has known and loved for decades, this is evidence today how a small act of kindness can have a lasting impression,” says Johnny Mizzoni, the Tim Hortons restaurant owner in Barrie. The Smile Cookie campaign has raised $900,000 for Hospice Simcoe – Seasons Centre, nearing that $1 million mark Tim Hortons has promised the hospice.
