Media Release

January 25, 2023 – TORONTO (ON) – Canada’s Lung Health Foundation is pleased to announce that it is the beneficiary of a bequest of $1,092,735 from the estate of Lloyd Alexander Hope. It is the second-largest gift the non-profit organization has ever received in its 100 year history.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Mr. Hope was a farmer and lifelong businessman who leaves a legacy of generosity and compassion for others.

“Generous gifts like this one are so critical to our work and to the future of lung research in Canada,” says Jessica Buckley, Lung Health Foundation President and CEO. “For all of the progress that has been made, there is still so much more that needs to be done, from better understanding lung disease and its causes, to improving prevention and detection, ending the stigma of lung disease, and discovering promising new treatments.”

Today, one in every five Canadians suffer from lung disease, and it is the fourth leading cause of death. Lung disease continues to take its toll, placing a profound burden on patients and their families, and an economic burden on every provincial healthcare system across Canada. Lung disease has been underfunded for decades. The Lung Health Foundation’s mission is to change that. Research will play an integral role in making that happen.

This gift comes at a time when the Lung Health Foundation prepares to reimagine its research program, broadening its scope, and better aligning it with its organizational goals, all while continuing to support the next generation of researchers.

“It’s an honour to be the steward of a gift such as this,” says Buckley. “The generosity of people like Mr. Hope is completely humbling and inspiring. His gift will provide us with the resources needed to relaunch our efforts in research in the coming years, and to continue to drive towards the breathing breakthroughs that are so needed to help the millions of Canadians who are and who will be impacted by lung disease.”

About the Lung Health Foundation

The Lung Health Foundation (formerly Ontario Lung Association) is a national organization that has been dedicated to ending gaps in the prevention, diagnosis and care of lung disease for over a century. We invest in the future by driving groundbreaking research, advocate for policy change, and give people living with lung disease and their families the programs and support they need today. We help Canadians with lung disease live their best life though programs such as Fitness for Breath, and work to ensure future generations don’t suffer the debilitating effects of lung disease by powering programs like Quash, an app designed to support youth smoking and vaping cessation. Lung health starts now! For more information, visit www.lunghealth.ca.

Media contact:

Sandra Gregory
Manager, Communications
(905) 767-6356
sgregory@lunghealth.ca

September 20, 2022 – TORONTO – In a move designed to build on its long-standing history of impact and success, the Board of Directors of the Lung Health Foundation announces the appointment of Jessica Buckley, former Senior Vice President of Woodbine Entertainment, as the organization’s new President & Chief Executive Officer.

She succeeds George Habib, who held the title of CEO for 15 years. Under Habib’s successful leadership, the Lung Health Foundation established itself as an innovative and patient-centric organization that brought much-needed attention to the issue of lung disease, elevating its importance to policy-makers and the public alike. Constantly evolving the organization to better serve its patient community, he most recently led the transition of the Lung Health Foundation into a national organization amidst the challenges and uncertainty of the pandemic.

Assuming the role of CEO, Ms. Buckley brings with her over two decades of progressive entrepreneurial experience in the sports and entertainment industry, most recently as Senior Vice President of Standardbred and Thoroughbred Racing for Woodbine Entertainment Group. With notable success in leading organizational transformation and growth, engaging stakeholders, and building government relationships at all levels, Buckley is well-positioned to step into the leadership role at the Lung Health Foundation.

“With an exciting new strategic plan in place, the Lung Health Foundation promises to make big, bold changes in our approach to closing the gaps in the prevention, diagnosis, and care of lung disease in Canada,” says Dan Markovich, Chair, Lung Health Foundation. “We are thrilled that Ms. Buckley will be guiding us in our work, given her demonstrated ability as a leader throughout her 20+ year entrepreneurial career. She has proven herself to be able to respond nimbly to constantly evolving markets and environments which is exactly what our organization needs as we move swiftly and urgently in our mission to help Canadians breathe better.”

Each year in Canada, hundreds will needlessly lose their lives to asthma; tens of thousands with COPD will end up in hospital; more than 20,000 people will die from lung cancer; thousands will fail to get the vaccines they need to prevent hospitalization and even death; and thousands of young Canadians will continue to smoke and vape, putting their health severely at risk. The Lung Health Foundation aims to change that.

“This is an important time for the Lung Health Foundation as we make strides in becoming better and more impactful – in becoming the industry leader,” promises Buckley. “I’m incredibly excited and honoured to be leading the Lung Health Foundation team. The mission of this organization — improving the lung health of all Canadians — is critically important to each and every one of us, and it’s absolutely what attracted me to this opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting to know this amazing team and using my experience to help expand our reach to all patients and their families across the country.”

About the Lung Health Foundation

The Lung Health Foundation is national organization dedicated to ending gaps in the prevention, diagnosis, and care of lung disease in Canada. We invest in the future by driving ground-breaking research, and we give patients and their families the programs and support they need today. Lung health starts now!

Media Contact:

Tawny Barratt

Director, Marketing and Communications tbarratt@lunghealth.ca

647-293-9911