Michael Garron Hospital, Marc Garneau Collegiate students celebrate successful Vital Ventures campaign in support of medical equipment

By ALAN SHACKLETON

Students, doctors, administrators and philanthropists gathered at Michael Garron Hospital recently to celebrate the 2026 Vital Venture Fund.

At the event, it was revealed which item of hospital equipment was the winner of a competition featuring videos made by Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute students highlighting the need for the medical equipment in the treatment of patients.

The winning video, which was voted on by members of the community, saw the item of equipment purchased by the hospital through monies made available by the Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund.

The celebration of the students’ videos, and the announcement of the winner, took place at the hospital on March 5 with medical staff, foundation and hospital officials, students from Marc Garneau and Moez and Marissa Kassam in attendance.

The winning video, Mission Inner Space, was in support of funding for a dual focus gastroscope and a dual focus colon videoscope which helps diagnose young patients with conditions such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

In announcing the winning video, Moez Kassam praised the work of the students and the messages portrayed in the videos.

“What you have taken on and done is a form of mastery,” he said. “Not only were you able to take on a new project and showcase all the great work being done at Michael Garron, you also showed what real advocacy is and it’s a lesson that you can take with you for the rest of your lives.”

He said their fund was started to “dismantle the barriers and keep world-class technology at places like Michael Garron, and to find a way to bridge the gap, to provide equity” to those in need of medical technology services in the East Toronto community.

His family grew up in the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park area and this was the hospital that served them. “It’s very personal to us, it’s very important to the community at large, and I’m so happy and we’re so happy to be part of it.”

Dr. Kristen Bortolin, pediatric gastroenterologist at Michael Garron Hospital, helped the students on the Mission Inner Space team make their case for the funding of the gastroscope and colonvideoscope. The Garneau students who were members of the winning team are Zaynab Kazi, Lanyue Fu and Inaaya Ahmed.

Garneau principal Gillian Evans said the collaboration between the students and the hospital foundation was an excellent learning experience for all of the Grade 9 and 10 students that took part in creating the videos and learning about local healthcare needs.

“It was enormous success, especially for the students to see how what they have done has made an impact,” she said. “It also showed the kids how they and the community can advocate for the things they need. It shows they can make a difference.”

Along with the competition-winning video Mission Inner Space, the videos made by the other students also received praise from the hospital staff and Moez and Marissa Kassam.

So powerful were the videos that the Kassam’s fund and an anonymous donor also decided to fund some of the other items of equipment highlighted in the Vital Ventures 2026 campaign.

“Great news! Even more of the equipment highlighted in the Vital Venture Fund challenge is being purchased for our community,” said the Michael Garron Hospital Foundation in a Facebook post this month.

“Thanks to the Moez & Marissa Kassam Equity Fund and our anonymous donors for their support of: Safety starts with a scan: scanners to assess bladder function and avoid unnecessary catheterization; The difference a signal makes: an EMG Machine for diagnosis of nerve and muscle disorders. Plus, a NIM Monitor that assesses nerves during ear, nose and throat procedures; Surgical stars: a major VATS Tray, which includes a full set of instruments to support life-saving thoracic procedures. As well as ERBE cautery equipment, tools used to reduce bleeding during surgery. We are grateful to the students at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute for shining a light on our hospital’s vital equipment needs.”