“Cheers to Hope”All proceeds from the “Cheers to Hope” reception will fund health research projects in Windsor-Essex.

Fundraising event to support health care innovation in Windsor-Essex

A fundraising reception Wednesday, April 27, will support grants for health research in the four partner institutions of the WE-Spark Health Institute: the University of Windsor, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, and Windsor Regional Hospital.

“WE-Spark officially launched in March 2020, just as a world-wide pandemic was at our doorstep,” says executive director Lisa Porter, a UWindsor professor of biomedical sciences. “Now we have an opportunity to gather in person to showcase the incredible research happening across our region, recognize the people behind all the great work, and focus our efforts on ensuring we can continue to support health research in the future.”

She notes the organization promotes collaboration across the Windsor-Essex region, Canada, and internationally. To date, WE-Spark has awarded 52 grants totaling $776,725 across diverse disciplines and areas of expertise.

“Each year, we are amazed and excited at the volume of grant applications, but unfortunately we can only fund a limited number,” Dr. Porter says. “It is our hope that this event will enable us to support many more projects. Our community’s support will fuel the type of change our publicly funded systems cannot support alone.”

“Cheers to Hope” promises hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Essex Golf & Country Club. Tickets are $100, available for purchase here.