Honey & Barr Sherman Legacy Foundation donates $10 million to Humber River Health Foundation
Mission to revitalize healthcare in one of Toronto’s most underserved communities
As a single mother of two, Selena works two jobs to put food on the table for her girls. Taking a day off to visit her healthcare provider means a day of lost wages when wages are desperately needed to make rent.
At 72, Sheldon lives alone with limited income from his government pension. With symptoms of dementia worsening by the day, he is unable to navigate the transportation system to access the care he needs.
Nyla recently settled in Canada and is still learning to speak English. When her young son requires urgent care, she doesn’t know where to turn.
These are the stories of Jane and Finch and the surrounding Northwest Toronto communities. Communities that are home to the highest percentage of lone-parent families, racialized and marginalized populations in Toronto. These are communities that have a disproportionate number of low-income seniors, aged 80 and above, who live alone and need their complex healthcare needs addressed closer to home.
They’re communities that need our support.
According to the City of Toronto’s Neighbourhood Equity Ranking, which examined a neighbourhood’s economic opportunity, social development and health, those surrounding Humber River Health fell at the very bottom — the least equitable in the city. In fact, the Northwest Toronto population had the highest unemployed population, highest percentage of adults without a certificate, diploma or degree and the highest labor force non-participation rate.
Something needed to change.
Humber River Health is on a mission to revolutionize healthcare, lighting new ways and finding solutions to meet the needs of the medically complex and underserved community that it serves. This vision will soon be realized with a $10 million donation from the Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation — the largest charitable gift the Foundation has given since its inception in 2020.
For over 30 years, Honey and Dr. Barry Sherman were committed supporters of Humber. Dr. Sherman chaired numerous fundraising campaigns and was the lead donor of the Apotex Emergency Department.
“As a community health nurse, I’ve seen the ongoing healthcare inequities facing many people in Northwest Toronto,” said Alex Krawczyk, daughter of Honey and Dr. Barry Sherman, who established the foundation in honour of her parents. “I hope that this gift will assist Humber River Health in achieving its vision of improving accessibility to healthcare, and I am honoured to be continuing the decades-long relationship my beloved parents had with the hospital through this donation.
Thank you to the entire team at Humber for the lifesaving care you provide every day.”
The historic donation will bring significant change to the 17-acre Humber River Health Finch campus in the Jane and Finch corridor, reimagining the space with a dedicated focus on closing the healthcare disparity gap in Northwest Toronto. The new facility will be designed around the community’s specific needs, beginning with an assessment of current services and gaps within the system. The design process will identify a range of options to address any misalignment between current and future service delivery and potential solutions that will deliver the greatest short and long-term value for those in Northwest Toronto. The assessment will explore various areas of care including a fully accessible urgent care clinic, diagnostic imaging and lab services to enhance care and increase community access and a new acute hospital on the site.
“The Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation’s gift will transform people's lives in one of our city's most diverse communities. We are planning for the future but recognize the urgency of our community’s needs today,” said Sandra Sualim, president and CEO of Humber River Health Foundation. “As strong pillars of our community, Honey and Dr. Barry Sherman embraced the Humber community and led by example. Their legacy at Humber lives on through their daughter’s gift.”
Humber River Health is setting a new Canadian healthcare standard as North America's first digital hospital. Its stateof-the-art facility is enabling physicians and staff to deliver healthcare in new ways and is a model of efficiency for hospitals around the world. Humber River Health is dedicated to providing the highest quality universal healthcare. Everything from its worldclass technology to its outpatient services is designed to enhance not only patient outcomes, but also the experiences of patients and their families.
“Healthcare is more than just curing the ill. It’s about ensuring every member of our community can live their life to their full potential,” said Barb Collins, president and CEO of Humber River Health. “At our core, our mission is to work together with our community to deliver innovative, safe and equitable healthcare. The new facility, designed by the community, for the community, aims to do just that.”