NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA HEALTH FOUNDATION
*************************
The Niagara Health Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received the largest gift in its history. The Marotta Family has pledged $10 million in support of the It's Our Future campaign to build the South Niagara Hospital of Niagara Health.
Their pledge will help ensure that the new South Niagara Hospital will bring a state-of-the-art healthcare facility to Niagara. The Atrium of the South Niagara Hospital will be named in honour of the gift as the "Marotta Family Atrium."
The Marotta Family has a strong history of philanthropy and supports several non-profit organizations within the arts and culture, health, social services, and education sectors. Benny Marotta is the rounder of Solmar Development Corporation. For over 30 years, this family-owned and operated organization has poured passion and expertise into building thoughtfully planned communities across the Greater Toronto Area and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Benny Marotta also co-founded Two Sisters Vineyards with his two daughters, Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli and Angela Marotta. As an extension of the Marotta family, Melissa and Angela grasped at the opportunity to settle roots in the Niagara Region. With an unwavering vision, Two Sisters Vineyards brings an extraordinary wine and culinary experience to the heart of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the health foundation says. Two Sisters Vineyards was awarded "Best Small Winery in Canada" by the
National Wine Awards. Two Sisters Vineyard was also awarded the "Business That Gives Back Award" in 2022 by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and recognized as one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail in 2019.
The new South Niagara Hospital will feature modern facilities and technology, providing patients with the highest level of care. The hospital will also serve as a hub for medical research and education, helping to advance healthcare in the region and beyond.
"Our parents, Benny and Louise Marotta, have raised us with strong family values and principles together with a high work ethic. This has laid the foundation for our children and future generations to come together in recognizing the moral responsibility we have to each other and our community. As leaders in our family, we will continue to strive to be successful in our business endeavours to support our philanthropic efforts, which is very important to us. We are proud to support the new South Niagara Hospital as it plays a very important role in providing healthcare to those living in the Niagara Region and its surrounding communities," the Marotta family says.
"This historic gift from the Marotta family is a demonstration to our community's dedication, generosity and support towards the future of healthcare in Niagara. We are truly honoured to receive this support, which will help us make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our community," says Andrea Scott, president and CEO of the Niagara Health Foundation.
"This generous gift will have a direct impact on the lives of people across Niagara, allowing us to outfit the South Niagara hospital with new and innovative equipment. Another important benefit from this gift is the role it will play in helping us to recruit and retain talented healthcare workers, who want to work in modern, state-of-the-art hospital settings,” says Lynn Guerriero, president and CEO, Niagara Health.
"This gift by the Marotta family has blown us away! We are absolutely amazed by their gift of this significance and can't help but know how well we are all taken care of through the generosity of our Niagara community. Thank you doesn't feel sufficient. We are so grateful," said It's Our Future campaign co-chairs, Mayor Jim Diodati and Mr. Harry Oakes.
Located at the corner of Montrose and Biggar roads in Niagara Falls, the new hospital will have 469 beds, adding 156 more beds to the region. It will feature centres of excellence in complex care, wellness in aging and stroke, a full-service emergency department and intensive care unit, surgical care, dialysis,
diagnostics and more.
The Niagara Health Foundation will continue to announce and celebrate the It's Our Future Founding Donors over the next few months and is so thankful for the donors that have supported the campaign.
To date, the Foundation has secured over $60 million in pledges to support the project's local share. To learn more about the It's Our Future campaign and the South Niagara Hospital, visit ItsOurFuture.com.
*************************
