Provincial grant will help Whitby diabetes centre complete fundraising audit

The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre in Whitby is still a ways off from raising the $8 million it needs to fund a much-needed expansion but a $20,000 grant from the Province presented Thursday is a step in the right direction.

The $20,000 Resilient Community Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will enable the Best Centre to complete an audit of its development office and fundraising events.

“The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre is at the forefront of meeting the needs of our local children, youth and adults living with type 1 diabetes,” said Whitby MP Lorne Coe, who dropped by the centre to award the cheque., adding that his government supports the centre’s “innovative work which ensures residents living with type 1 diabetes in Whitby and other parts of the Region of Durham have the lifelong care they need, when and where they need it.”

As a registered charity, the Best Centre, located in Brooklin, must fundraise 25 per cent of its operating costs and 100 per cent of its capital costs. As the demand for services increases, so does the need to grow and fundraise, with the centre’s signature Building on the Best campaign well underway.

“Like many charities in Canada, the work to raise funds for building expansion has changed with new pressures and increased costs,” explains Lorrie Hagen, Executive Director at the Best Centre. “As we navigate the post-pandemic state of affairs, the support of our community is even more important.”

The Best Centre’s mission is to keep children, youth and adults living with type 1 diabetes healthy until a cure is found. Healthcare educators provide an all-encompassing and lifelong approach to support and empower patients and families to self-manage.

“We are committed to addressing the needs of our members,” said Serge Babin, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “(This) funding will allow us to plan for a future in continuing to provide services that are accessible to all patients and families.”

The Best Centre, founded in 1989, delivers one-of-a-kind patient-centred healthcare exclusive to type 1 diabetes. As Canada’s only stand-alone centre and charitable organization specializing in type 1 diabetes, the staff provides highly responsive and individualized care. The interdisciplinary care team includes registered nurses, dietitians and social workers who provide frontline healthcare and education throughout patients’ lifetime.

“The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre is at the forefront of meeting the needs of our local children, youth and adults living with type 1 diabetes,” said Whitby MP Lorne Coe, who dropped by the centre to award the cheque, adding that his government supports the centre’s “innovative work which ensures residents living with type 1 diabetes in Whitby and other parts of the Region of Durham have the lifelong care they need, when and where they need it.”

The Charles H. Best Diabetes Centre sees roughly 2,000 patients and conducts more than 28,000 healthcare interactions per year to support patients living with type 1 diabetes.

(Type 1 diabetes is an incurable, complex disease in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. It must be managed 24-hour a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Without insulin, which is needed to control the level of glucose – sugar – in the blood, death is certain.)

The Building on the Best Campaign was launched three years ago to fund an expansion to meet demand that is expected to double in the next few years.

Municipalities in Durham, as well as the provincial government, have all pledged funds for the campaign, with the money raised used to fund a renovation of the two existing structures and an addition of a supplementary conjoining space. On completion the centre will have full first floor accessibility, 18 patient counselling spaces, a new large event and education space, six meeting rooms and an additional clinic room with a children’s play area.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is a provincial agency of the with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year the foundtion invested more than $110 million into 1,044 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Since 2018, non-profit organizations in Whitby have received approximately $3.9 million from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.