In memory of the past, in honour of the future
The Cyril & Dorothy and Joel & Jill Reitman Family Foundation donates $1 million to the MNI
The Cyril & Dorothy and Joel & Jill Reitman Family Foundation announced today that they will donate $1 million dollars to the Montreal Neurological Institute’s (MNI) ‘Thinking Ahead’ Campaign. The Reitman family has a long history of giving to the MNI. “The MNI is a national treasure for both research and patient care and our family is proud to be associated with it,” says Joel Reitman, President and CEO of Toronto based MIJO Corporation. “It is a place where people can go and receive care with confidence.” The gift was announced at today’s launch of the campaign, a five-year $40 million initiative to invest in people and expand facilities and services at the MNI.
The family’s relationship with the MNI began in 1947 with Cyril Reitman’s mother, Ruth. Grateful and impressed by the care she received after a difficult surgery, Mrs. Reitman hosted a lunch for Dr. William Cone and his staff. This small gathering quickly grew into the annual Reitman luncheon for the entire staff at the Neuro and has become the traditional marker of the holiday season – a time when faculty, staff and students come together.
“We have enormous appreciation for the Reitman’s history of service and support to the MNI,” said Dr. David Colman, Director of the MNI. “We are extremely proud and honoured that they have chosen to extend that history in this forward-looking and most generous way.”
The Reitman family’s gift will help to establish and complete a much-needed accessible and spacious University Street entrance and lobby for the MNI’s new North Wing expansion, which will be named the Cyril & Dorothy and Joel & Jill Reitman Lobby. “This is a special, significant gift for our family and is our way of continuing to honour our sense of gratefulness to the MNI,” stated Cyril and Dorothy Reitman. “Despite the fact that they grew up in Toronto, our children, Sam and Richard have very close ties to Montreal,” said Jill Reitman. “They and future generations will point to the MNI and feel pride that their family is a part of such an important institution in Canada and the world.”
Lead gifts from Dr. Brenda Milner, the Dorothy J. Killam Professor of Neuropsychology at the MNI and from Manulife Financial and the company’s CEO Dominic D’Alessandro were also announced today.
The Cyril & Dorothy and Joel & Jill Reitman Family Foundation was established in 1996 and supports a wide range of charitable purposes from hospitals to schools and social services. Dorothy Reitman is a member of the MNI Advisory Board.
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About the MNI
The Montreal Neurological Institute is a McGill University research and teaching institute, dedicated to the study of the nervous system and neurological diseases. Founded in 1934 by the renowned Dr. Wilder Penfield, the MNI is one of the world’s largest institutes of its kind. MNI researchers are world leaders in cellular and molecular neuroscience, brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience and the study and treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders. The MNI, with its clinical partner, the Montreal Neurological Hospital (MNH), part of the McGill University Health Centre, continues to integrate research, patient care and training, and is recognized as one of the premier neuroscience centres in the world. At the MNI, we believe in investing in the faculty, staff and students who conduct outstanding research, provide advanced, compassionate care of patients and who pave the way for the next generation of medical advances. Highly talented, motivated people are the engine that drives research – the key to progress in medical care.