Venture Sinai: Propelling discoveries and philanthropy forward

Venture Sinai celebrates the social good of philanthropy, the intellectual curiosity of research and a passion for health care. For over a decade, Venture Sinai has brought together philanthropists who want to create a vibrant giving community, while driving impact locally and globally by supporting Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI).

Venture Sinai was founded by in 2009 by Jeff Rosenthal and is currently co-chaired by Laurel Linetsky-Fleisher and Mark Grammer. To date, 12 groups have raised more than $3 million to fund research that is changing the future of medicine.

Funds are raised through multi-year commitments and annual events where each Venture Sinai group supports a promising scientist who receives the coveted title of “Venture Sinai Fellow” for the year. Over the years, Venture Sinai groups have funded scientists who are breaking new ground on pancreatic cancer, personalized medicine, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer and more.

We sat down with Sinai Health Foundation board members Kenny Albert and Jonathan Pollack, who have an exciting new goal to raise $1 million with their fourth Venture Sinai group.

Q. What continues to inspire and draw you to supporting Sinai Health Foundation?

Kenny: Sinai Health is a world-class institution and it’s in our backyard. We all know people who are having to deal with health issues and Sinai is committed to fixing them. How can we not help?

Jonathan: I would also add that Sinai Health has world-class physicians and researchers at the forefront of all of their specialties. Whether it is obstetrics, gynaecology, orthopaedics — these are all fueled by incredible research.

Kenny: There is an element to working with the Foundation where there is instant gratification. We can raise money for a facility, a doctor or researcher and we can see it, feel it and touch it; we see the dollars at work right away. We know where the good is getting done.

Q. What do you think makes Venture Sinai such an engaging opportunity for the philanthropic community?

Kenny: It is a lot of fun and there is a sense of community. We are like-minded, we are at a similar stage in our lives and we want to make a difference. This is a unique way to support Sinai Health and it goes beyond simply writing a cheque.

Q. Talk about your new vision and goal for your Venture Sinai group. What are you most excited about?

Kenny: The most exciting thing is the goal itself. You have to have goals in life and the goal of raising $1 million for research is everything. We have got a chance to be part of major discoveries or cures for things like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and that is way more exciting than our day jobs!

Jonathan: This is a significant goal for us and for LTRI. We are doing a really important job of attracting new donors for Sinai Health. If you look at specific campaigns around the GTA like this that are purely research-focused, it’s a big task we are both excited about and confident in achieving.

Q. You recently featured a few dynamic scientists at your annual dinner. What excited you the most about their research?

Kenny: It wasn’t any one researcher, because they are all impressive and world-class. It’s their hope and perseverance. These people show up every day and think they are going to solve whatever they are working on, and it can take years. One of them told us a story about working on a project for years and then finally finding out they were wrong. They showed up the next day and started work on fixing it or finding a new path.

Q. Why is it so important for the community to support research?

Jonathan: Because research, like all types of medicine, saves lives. We have the ability to not only save lives, but to cure disease and make lives better for people in Toronto and around the world.

Kenny: There is a thread of discovery. They show up and they don’t necessarily know where the thread is going to end. Great achievements don’t have a road map. There are lots of examples in the world of medicine and elsewhere. Penicillin was discovered by accident. I think it is our job to give these people the money and then get out of their way.

Jonathan: It is also helping these incredible researchers live their dreams. They become researchers thinking they are going to change the world and we are helping them do that.

Q. What would you say to someone who was thinking of joining a Venture Sinai group?

Jonathan: Venture Sinai is not just about fundraising. Yes, we raise significant funds for Sinai Health but we also provide an opportunity for our members to spend the evening with world leaders in research and medicine as well as the other events that we organize. You also get to spend time with the other like-minded members of the group and have a lot of fun.

Kenny: It’s the chance to be involved in something way bigger than us.

This is just one of the many Venture Sinai groups investing their time and money to support the future of health care. For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Bonnie Oppenheimer at bonnie.oppenheimer@sinaihealthsystem.ca