For local business owner Paul Guenette, giving back and supporting the community has always been important to him. Now, as the owner of the newly expanded CertaPro Painters in the Waterloo Region, he and his team are making a difference right here by partnering with Grand River Hospital in support of Scotland’s Yard and the vision to enhance kids’ health care in Kitchener-Waterloo.

“It seemed like a perfect fit in terms of our personal objectives as well as what would resonate with our customers and our staff,” Paul says of the new partnership. He also has his own personal connection to the cause that drives his passion for supporting children’s health care.

“I think so many people affiliated with groups like this have a personal story,” he explains. “And mine was our oldest boy, David. He was born 10 weeks premature. This was in Sudbury at the time, but he was in the NICU there for five weeks. He was two pounds one ounce at birth … [now] he’s 25 years old and incredibly healthy, and he’s awesome. And he’s only that because of the awesome staff at the NICU in Sudbury. That’s absolutely where it all started.”

So, when Paul left his 23-year corporate career at TD Bank to start his own business — something he had always aspired to do — it’s no surprise that he chose to invest in a CertaPro Painters franchise, whose values-focused culture resonated with his own values. Or that he chose to align his business’s giving with the local children’s health causes he cares so much about.

With his London location supporting the Children’s Hospital Foundation, Paul was looking for a similar organization local to the Kitchener-Waterloo community that his recently purchased Waterloo location could support. And when he learned about Scotland’s Yard from a member of Grand River Hospital Foundation’s staff, he knew right away that it would be a perfect fit.

Scotland’s Yard is a community-led initiative that strives to enhance kids’ care close to home, inspired by children with cancer and other serious illnesses. With the demand for positron emission tomography (PET CT) scans for diagnosis and treatment continuing to grow, Scotland’s Yard is currently fundraising for a PET CT scanner. Investing in a PET CT will enable patients to receive care locally, versus travelling to Hamilton or Mississauga, alleviating stress on patients and their families. And, for every residential project CertaPro Painters of Waterloo completes in Waterloo Region over the next two years, they will donate $25 to Scotland’s Yard to help the kids in our community access more health care right here. They are also committed to raise awareness for the cause.

“You know, we’re a small business. We can’t give you millions of dollars — we can’t give you hundreds of thousands of dollars — but we will literally be in over a thousand homes or businesses each and every year. So, if we have the ability to expose those people [to Scotland’s Yard], that’s 1,000+ people you wouldn’t have reached otherwise.”

Paul notes that he’s already encountered a strong, positive response to this new partnership within the community as well. “One of our suppliers wasn’t able to come to the [CertaPro Painters of Waterloo] grand opening, but they were so moved by the initiative that they made a donation to Scotland’s Yard.”

And rallying the members of our community in this way has a meaningful impact of its own, not only for the children and families at the Hospital whose experience is made better by this generous support, but for everyone involved.

“People want to work somewhere where they feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves,” Paul explains. “One of the really big things is that they want to be proud of where they work. And I know our employees are happy and proud of us that we’re able to support to the best of our abilities and make a difference in our community. They feel good about that.”

Like his team, Paul feels proud to support Scotland’s Yard and Grand River Hospital. And looking back on his time with his son in the NICU, he ultimately hopes that their support will help bring that same level of access to care to our community for every child and family experiencing a health journey, no matter what type of care or treatment they require.

“If I was to dream? I think about how in my situation, my wife was able to be with David all day at the NICU and then I was able to go to work all day and spend the evenings with them and then bring her home at night. You can’t [always] do that right now in our area … So, my fondest wish would be that any child who is going through such a challenging time can receive treatment locally and have the parents better able to support them, and the rest of the family, at a local level.”