Business Cares

As Business Cares approaches its second decade of giving, it’s time to celebrate the business owners who support our Huntsville Hospital.

Since January 2016, the Huntsville Hospital Foundation Business Cares initiative has raised over $2.4 million to help our hospital acquire advanced technology and equipment. Thanks to the caring business leaders of our incredible town and the communities around it, the initiative continues to grow, and more business leaders continue to step up in support of our hospital.

416 - It’s not about a phone number

My name is Trevor Groh and along with my brother Steven, we own and operate Groh Construction; builders of upscale homes and cottages in and around Huntsville, our lakes and Lake of Bays. We’ve been at it for 11 years now, and while it’s a very busy life (my wife is an ICU nurse, we have a young family and we’re very involved in the community) it’s also an amazing life.

After committing to Business Cares three years ago, I recently decided to step in as the Business Cares Committee Chair. Giving to Business Cares is a tangible way to contribute to this community; chairing the committee is a tangible way to ensure our business community continues to take a leadership role in hospital support.

The reason the number up above is large and highlighted is not because I call the Toronto area code a lot. That number — 416 — represents a very simple equation that I use to help new members join Business Cares.

What it means is that the majority of local business owners can find $416 a month to support our local hospital by joining Business Cares. While the $25,000 five-year commitment seems large, it’s actually quite manageable when you break it down.

I’ve had great success working with our trades partners and other local business owners using this simple concept. We’re growing as a community of business leaders and the numbers you’ll see later in this report bear that out.

Supporting our hospital matters. Having a local hospital now with the services we all need matters.

Having access to a local MRI makes a huge difference — I know first hand because I just had the easiest MRI appointment I’ve ever heard of. Because it was local. And that’s a simple illustration of the difference fundraising makes.

The future of healthcare and our hospital here is just as important. We’re growing as a community: our economy is vibrant, and new, younger business owners are contributing to that vitality. We’ll need our new hospital to keep up with expectations which also means we’ll need to continue growing Business Cares to keep pace.

All it takes is $416 a month for five years.

I’d like to thank Pat Dubé and Chantelle Armstrong for getting Business Cares up and running. I’d like to welcome every new business leader who joins us the years ahead while also acknowledging all the business owners who have been part of this longer than I have; we have an amazing community of leaders. And thanks also to our Foundation team, we have a fundraising organization that makes it easy to be part of something bigger than our day-to-day. Thank you all.

Trevor Groh
Committee Chair, Business Cares

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

57

Business Cares
Members To Date

9

Renewed Members
Last 24 Months

7

New Members
Last 12 Months

$2,400,000

Total Pledged since 2016

$1,906,868

Total Raise since 2016

Future Purchases to Be Supported by Business Cares

New Beds & Stretchers

Mammography

Cardiac Holter Monitors (9)

CT Scanner

Crash Carts (2)

Operating Room Tables (2)

Equipment Purchases Already
Made

MRI

Colonscope

Bone Density

Scopes

Cataract Trays

Platelet Incubator

Central Patient Monitors

Four local business owners discuss business cares and our hospital.

BUSINESS CARES brings together business owners from a wide variety of local sectors; in our story here, automotive retail, food & hospitality, landscaping and hardware retail. Everyone’s story is different until it comes to what it’s like to do business here and why they joined Business Cares to support Huntsville Hospital.

  • Emily Keown can look back to the 1890s for her Cunnington family roots in the area. Today, she and brother Tom share in Fivepoint Landscaping while also helping their Mom at the Lake of Bays Garden Centre in Dwight. She bought into Fivepoint in 2021. And yes, she’s used the hospital for everything from fish hooks in fingers to full on head injuries — not to mention she and her brother were born there.
  • Al McCaig grew up in Burlington and moved to Calgary for a while but he’s always had the Huntsville area close to his heart as a cottager in the area. Al bought into local car dealer Edmonds GM in 2022 and hasn’t looked back since. Snow skiing, mountain biking... he and his wife have a very active life. Which means they’ve also needed the hospital over time; most often for small stuff and once, for a major challenge.
  • Beel Yaqub did what most bank leaders never do; he traded in his RBC tech executive role for flipping burgers as the new McDonalds franchisee in Huntsville / Parry Sound. Beel’s wife and two teenagers joined him, and to say he loves this massive life transformation is an understatement. He’s settled into Huntsville now — no hospital visits yet, but he’s already sitting on the MAHC Board which means he has an front row seat to healthcare change in the area.
  • The Rolston family name, dad Rob and son Cory, is well-known throughout Muskoka for quality service and advice from Rolston Home Hardware. Rob bought the store and maintained his ownership in the shift to its current brand from Beaver Lumber. Son Cory has lived in town since he was seven years old. But as Rob slows down and transfers the reins to his son, one thing doesn’t change — their shared commitment to the community.
Why did you decide to join Business Cares?

Rob: What surprised me was that our tax dollars don’t pay for a lot of the technology and equipment at the hospital. I think that surprises a lot of people. So Rolston Home Hardware saw Business Cares as an opportunity to provide consistent funding. It was simply the right thing to do. And the format makes it easier to do.

Al: It connects our business to the community. We get as involved as we can but the fact is, we don’t exist without a strong community and it doesn’t exist without a strong hospital. The Business Cares program and five-year commitment helps us contribute to that objective. 

Emily: We have customers in the Lake of Bays area and they have been so generous to the hospital. So it fits with our customers’ mindsets and what they  want for Muskoka, and that includes a strong and improving hospital.

Beel: As a business owner in a small town, I see it as a personal and a community responsibility to take care of the local hospital. I feel a closer connection to the hospital here — for my employees, my family and everyone in the community. As a five-year commitment, Business Cares is designed to power the hospital’s success. That’s why I joined.

What does supporting the hospital do for your business?

Emily: Beyond how it aligns us with our customer priorities, our work is extremely physical; my people could run a marathon without training for it (lol). But they also get bumps and bruises and we’ve all used the hospital. Supporting it makes sense for my team’s well-being and my business.

Rob: We make our living from this community and everyone in it. So supporting local healthcare and all the causes we support comes back to us as the community grows and becomes more vibrant.

Al: In a small town, a contribution like Business Cares can have a very big impact. I’m proud to talk to our customers about it. It proves our commitment beyond just selling and servicing cars. The hospital attracts people and growth to town and our business depends on that.

Beel: My team here at the restaurant appreciates my support of their local hospital. They love doing the events we put on — they are energized by that because they and their families depend on local healthcare. It’s a win all around.

What does the future of Hospital care locally look like?

Beel: Huntsville Hospital has a tremendous impact on the community here and on all of Muskoka. It’s a about our health and well-being, our economy, attracting good growth and ensuring that continues into the future. There are many great causes here in town – all are worthy of support. That said, the hospital is the one service absolutely everyone depends on.

Rob: At the pace Huntsville is growing, we’re going to attract more families and younger families even as our population ages. Obviously, that means our hospitals will have to keep up and our healthcare services will have to keep up. Building new hospitals is the only choice.

Al: I think back to high school geography; we had to  build a community as a project and it started with a hospital in the middle. No hospital and it becomes very difficult to envision a community. I think the new hospital takes Huntsville to the next level in healthcare and community-building. It’s a big win.

Emily: I think a major difference that happens when we build our new hospital is that it will be easier to attract new doctors and nurses to the region. Right now, I have a truck driver who still goes to Brampton to see his GP. A new hospital gives us a chance to change that for so many people.

What is your best pitch for Business Cares membership?

Al: Business Cares supports a hospital that gives us a leg up on every other rural community. If your business depends on a strong, growing community, Business Cares is for you.

Rob: Owning a small, local business is a big deal. You have a big impact on this community. So it’s not an option whether you step up today or for the new hospital. As business leaders, we get to know everyone — our customers, their families. You have employees and their families and you want to take care of them. That’s what Business Cares makes possible.

Emily: There are so many reasons to join Business Cares. For starters, it’s affordable because it is a pledge over five years. That’s huge for business owners, especially seasonal businesses like ours. On the softer side, it’s also a great opportunity to get to know other local business owners and learn enough to be able to refer them. It goes both ways too.

Beel: Our community deserves the best healthcare services the hospital can offer. The more businesses that commit to the Business Cares program, the higher the chances of achieving this goal.

Support The Businesses That Support Your Hospital

A Message From The Foundation

We know how diligently you work – and how much risk you take on – to make your business thrive. That’s why we are so grateful that you’ve committed part of your hard-earned dollars to our hospital and to the health and wellness of the Huntsville community.

The foundation has committed to raising $35 million over the next ten years to support new hospital plans. Your contribution continues to have an enormous impact and we are fortunate to rely on you to not just donate, but also to get the word out about the future of our local healthcare. When we act and work together, it benefits all of us.

Thank you – from everyone at Huntsville Hospital, from the Foundation and from everyone who lives, works and plays here. You are, indeed, leaders of this entire community.

Katherine Craine,
Chief Executive Officer,
Huntsville Hospital Foundation

Direct: 705-789-2311, ext. 2492
Email: katherine.craine@mahc.ca

Healthcare for Life (and business). Here.

The Huntsville Hospital Foundation raises funds and inspires donors in support of Huntsville Hospital and healthcare throughout Muskoka. As of 2025, your Foundation is also focused on raising funds in support of Muskoka Hospital Redevelopment through the Raise Muskoka Campaign.

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4-100 Frank Miller Drive
Huntsville ON P1H 1H7
705.789.4756
hhfoundation@mahc.ca

CRA Charitable Number: 89371 5292 RR0001

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