Issue link: http://georgiancollege.uberflip.com/i/1503118
10 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2023 FRONTLINE SUPPORT Through the Frontline Support: Health-care Heroes Closer to Home campaign, Georgian is creating pathways for future nurses to study, work and thrive close to home. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, and the confidence of our government and community partners, we have taken a monumental step forward in this journey. ank you for helping us to do The landscape of health care is changing with each passing day. In emergency rooms, hospitals, clinics and long-term care homes across Ontario and throughout Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties, we are facing a shortage of nurses – one that has been festering for years and only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. As our communities continue to grow, our population ages, and new health-care challenges arise as retirement looms for many health professionals, the need for nurses is more critical than ever. Georgian has long been known for offering quality nursing education in partnership with other postsecondary institutions, but to attract and retain these qualified nurses locally, we needed a holistic, four-year degree program in our own backyard. Frontline Support was Georgian's solution Launched in 2021, the campaign has helped to ensure that the next generation of nursing professionals can and will be trained close to home. The campaign has connected donors and partners to create immense opportunities for aspiring nurses in our local communities and provide a nurturing ground to build their careers right here in Central Ontario. Since the campaign's launch, donations at every level have served as the building blocks for this new program. These gifts have supported capital renovations underway on our campuses; helped to purchase advanced simulation equipment and learning technology; created scholarships, awards and bursaries to ease the financial burden for promising nursing students; and earmarked funds to conduct innovative research with impact. This is the moment we have been waiting for The success of our Frontline Support campaign, and the launch of the new nursing degree program, rests first and foremost on the shoulders and immense generosity of our donors – individuals, corporations and community partners who have rallied behind Georgian's cause and share our vision for nursing education here in Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties. Our donors, supporters and partners have stepped up to help us raise more than $5.4 million to date for the Frontline Support campaign, making it possible to launch Central Ontario's first Honours Bachelor of Science − Nursing degree program in September 2022. | The inaugural class of Honours Bachelor of Science – Nursing degree students, Owen Sound Campus, September 2022.