Manitoba is Katie Hall Hursh’s “chosen home”. Her passion for the province runs deep, as does her drive to improve patient care through community support.
Katie Hall Hursh was elected Chair of the HSC Foundation on June 17, 2025: “I was immediately energized by the organization.”
Not long after moving with her family to Winnipeg from British Columbia, a 14-year-old Katie Hall Hursh knew she was in a special place. Every Manitoba moment of her life since then has re-affirmed her passion for her “chosen home”.
“Moving when you’re heading into grade 10 can be a tough experience for anyone, and it probably took me about six months to really find my footing,” says Hursh. “But soon our family was embraced by many new friends and we felt a strong sense of community. There is a real sense of care and warmth in Manitoba.”
For Hursh and her three siblings, there was no greater evidence of this than the community’s response to their mother’s breast cancer diagnosis when Hursh was just 19. The diagnosis also triggered Hursh’s first foray into health care fundraising.
“It completely rocked our family. My mom was just 51 at the time and it felt like the diagnosis came out of nowhere,” she says. “But the shock and fear were tempered by people’s responses. There were so many kind words and offers of support. People really rallied together for our family.”
Hursh and her siblings decided to channel their feelings of worry and uncertainty into something good; and they wanted to offer a tangible option when so many loving people stepped forward with the words “please let me know if there is anything I can do.”
And so, Hursh and her siblings signed up to participate in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer, a two-day, 60-kilometre walk to raise funds for the cause. “The four of us formed a team and raised $37,000,” she says. “We canvassed our family, friends, and neighbours. We held ‘Pink Parties’ at our parents’ house and our friends brought their babysitting money and whatever other funds they could.”
When that fundraising event wound down, Hursh and her siblings were determined to continue to make a difference. They made a proposal to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation to launch a similar walking event to raise money for all forms of cancer treatment and research, mobilizing families and supporters to make meaning of a cancer diagnosis and create a lasting impact on health care in the province. The organization agreed, and the Challenge for Life—which continues to this day—was born.
Hursh and family participated for a decade, raising many thousands of dollars (and holding many more Pink Parties!) over the years, contributing to the millions that the Challenge for Life has generated from the very beginning. After having a front-row seat to the journey of her mom—who is eighteen years cancer-free—and after experiencing the kindness and generosity of Manitobans, she said “yes” very quickly in 2019 when invited to sit on the Board of Directors of the HSC Foundation.
Katie Hall Hursh shares remarks at a farewell event for Tina Jones, C.M., O.M.: “I had the benefit of having seen Tina at work and have had a chance to learn from her outstanding leadership and the way she modelled excellence in everything she did.”
“I was immediately energized by the organization,” says Hursh, a lawyer who serves as Vice President at the Megill-Stephenson Company. “I saw that the Foundation had bold goals, an impressive track record of impact, a strong ability to rally the community and inspire donors, and tremendous Board leadership under Tina Jones.”
Hursh became very active as a Board member, chairing a successful campaign to raise funds for new gynecological surgical equipment (a campaign that attracted more than 60 new donors), co-chairing the ongoing Operation Excellence Corporate Challenge with Ray Bouchard, and becoming Jones’s Vice Chair.
“It’s all been so rewarding,” she says. “We have a very strong Board, an exceptionally talented staff, and excellent executive leadership under Jonathon Lyon, Annette Frost, and Paul Cadieux. Above all, we have a powerful story to tell and a compelling case to make. The investments we are making in surgical and clinical excellence are game-changing and have a real impact on the lives of countless Manitobans.”
That all said, when nominated to assume the Chair after Tina Jones announced her intentions to step down, it wasn’t as quick of a yes as her response to the initial invitation to join the Board.
“I had to think about it for a few days. It is a major responsibility, and I wanted to assure myself that I could honour Tina’s unbelievable legacy,” says Hursh, a graduate of Kelvin High School and the University of Manitoba. “I came to realize that this is exactly what I should be doing. I had the benefit of having seen Tina at work and have had a chance to learn from her outstanding leadership and the way she modelled excellence in everything she did. I have spent six years developing meaningful relationships with our Board, staff, and donors alike. And, I’m confident that by working together, we will continue to make a significant difference for Manitobans.”
Katie Hall Hursh and Jonathan Lyon at the April 2025 unveiling of the Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot, funded by the HSC Foundation’s Operation Excellence campaign. Attendees included representatives of Shared Health and HSC, along with Uzoma Asagwara, Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care: “It’s a time of enormous opportunity to invest in the types of technologies and facility upgrades that attract leading surgeons and other medical professionals to HSC,” says Hursh.
Through her time on the HSC Foundation Board so far, and through her early days as a fundraiser, Hursh deeply understands the power of social responsibility and the power of philanthropy. Giving back to the province they call home is profoundly important for Hursh and her husband Dan, also a community leader and active volunteer “We talk to our three kids regularly about the importance of volunteer work and helping people in any way you can,” says Hursh.
Hursh was elected Chair of the Board on June 17, 2025. She takes the position with the finish line in sight for the Foundation’s generational Operation Excellence initiative and in the early days of the organization’s refreshed strategic plan.
“Having worked with Katie on the Corporate Challenge, I have seen her commitment to our shared vision, her inspiring leadership, and her ability to rally people around our cause,” says Ray Bouchard, Co-Chair of the Operation Excellence Corporate Challenge and new Chair of the Fundraising Committee. “She understands the important role philanthropy plays in advancing health care and she is able to convey that message to others with heart and conviction. She will be an outstanding Chair.”
Dr. Chris Christodoulou, Interim CEO, Shared Health; Katie Hall Hursh, Chair, HSC Foundation; Tina Jones, C.M., O.M., former Chair, HSC Foundation; and Jonathon Lyon, President & CEO, HSC Foundation: “Aligned with our partners in government, Shared Health, and at HSC, we are excited to embrace new projects and reach new donors,” says Hursh.
“It’s a time of enormous opportunity to invest in the types of technologies and facility upgrades that attract leading surgeons and other medical professionals to HSC,” adds Hursh. “Aligned with our partners in government, Shared Health, and at HSC, we are excited to embrace new projects and reach new donors.”
Hursh continues: “I believe there is something very special about the way Manitobans look out for each other; and I am so proud to be a part of an organization harnessing that spirit to create lasting impact at our shared hospital and, most importantly, on the lives of individual Manitobans.”
By Stu Slayen
