The Founders Club is a special group of individual donors who contribute $500 or more throughout the calendar year and collectively have a huge impact on the delivery of patient care at the IWK. Founders receive exclusive recognition for their exceptional generosity.
"I have been a Founder since 1999 because of my love for children." - Pauline Hicks, New Brunswick.
2025 Founders Ambassadors
Every year, we select a patient or patient family to be an Ambassador for our very special Founders Club donors. We are honoured to name Bo, George, and Freddy as our 2025 IWK Founders Club Patient Ambassadors! These three brothers from New Brunswick are all beautiful boys under five who spend their days caring for their animals on the family’s farm.
Bo, the oldest, can be shy, but once he opens up, he is a very loving little boy who loves puzzles and reading. He’s also a wonderful big brother to George and Freddy, showing his love for them with big cuddles. Freddy loves swimming and being outdoors—and tractors, cows and horses. George is happy and smiley and loves to sing and dance.
While these boys are all unique, they have one very special thing in common—they all rely on the specialized care of the IWK.
In 2021, when he was just 15 months old, Bo was admitted to the IWK’s Pediatric Clinic for a severe bacterial infection called Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) and received IV antibiotics. Hib is rare and can cause life-threatening illnesses, including meningitis.
The pediatrician treating Bo referred him to the IWK’s Immunology Clinic to undergo specialized diagnostic testing, which is only available in the Maritimes at the IWK.
Bo’s brothers, Freddy and George, both have a cleft lip and palate, which occurs when a baby’s lip or mouth does not form properly during pregnancy. Freddy was only five months old when he had his first surgery, and at 15 months old, he required a cleft palate repair. Although both procedures went very well, his recovery from his second surgery was a lot harder. He regularly sees a speech-language pathologist because his speech is delayed, and he will need other surgeries when he’s older.
George’s medical journey is just beginning. He had his palette repaired in December 2024 and, like Freddy, will need many more surgeries. George has also experienced many other challenges, including difficulty eating and relying on a feeding tube for nutrition.
As an IWK Founders Club member, you are ensuring patients like Bo, Freddy, and George have access to the specialized care they need, close to home.
We want to give special thanks to Ellis, our 2024 IWK Founders Club Patient Ambassador, for everything she’s done to support the IWK!
We have loved and enjoyed all the content she has shared with us throughout the year, and we hope you did, too!