Sunnybrook Hospital: Bayview Campus - Toronto, ON

When we began discussing the idea about planting a tree and placing a bench at every hospital in Canada in January of 2021, we didn’t quite realize what this project could grow into and how much it would start to mean to us. Through the help of our partners and encouraging words from friends and supporters, we are able to place the first stone for what we set out to do and are incredibly happy to reveal our first project site at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto today.

We have been working tirelessly and pushed ourselves by setting out high expectations for the project. The result is a throughout Canadian endeavour with exclusively Canadian suppliers, manufacturers and organizations that were willing to take part in thanking frontline workers. With the bench from Maglin Site Furniture, slabs from Unilock and a Sugar Maple from Maple Leaves Forever, as well as mentor-ship from Landscape Ontario and the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects and finance set-up and management support from the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation, we can guarantee that with the help of your generous donations we truly are giving a gift from Canadians for Canadians. As we were talking about offering rest and a moment to reflect, we began to look for ways that would allow us to do more. Since we’re not professionals working in the mental health field, we reached out to the Canadian Mental Health Association for support. The CMHA was quick to offer their help to reliably and professionally distribute excess funds for mental health projects in communities across Canada.

We’re also very grateful for the enthusiasm that came from the Sunnybrook hospital and the trust they put into our organization. We’ve had the privilege to listen to some of their stories and are truly humbled by the value that has been attributed to our gift. We hope the bench and the tree will bring just a moment of peace into the life of frontline workers.

Today is a big moment for all of us at One Bench One Tree and we’re proud to have gotten this far, but this is only the beginning. The installation took place on June 3, 2021 with a small ceremony involving 1B1T representatives, Landscape Ontario, Hospital Administration, and Hospital Grounds Crew taking place on June 18, 2021.

Because heroes need healing too.

Thank you, Frontline-Heroes of Toronto for your tireless efforts throughout the pandemic. Your service is appreciated and not forgotten!