National Estate Planning Awareness Week reminds us to protect what matters including giving back to local healthcare
This Halloween season, the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital Foundation (CPDMH Foundation) is helping the community tackle one of life’s spookiest-sounding tasks… writing your Will. Recent surveys from 2025 and 2024 indicate that only 44 – 57% of Canadians have a Will – and how old we are when we write our Will tends to be a big factor. In a 2025 Logit Group survey, 64% of Boomers (55+) had a will, but only 18% of Gen Z (18-24) did. With so much potential to make a difference in the lives of others and leave a lasting legacy through our Wills, there is no doubt it can be frightening!
As part of National Estate Planning Awareness Week (October 20–26, 2025), the CPDMH Foundation is inviting community members to take a few minutes to plan ahead and consider leaving a treat for the future: a gift in your Will to support compassionate, local healthcare.
“Planning your Will doesn’t have to be scary,” says Robyn Arseneau, executive director of the CPDMH Foundation. “It’s one of the kindest and most meaningful things you can do—for your family AND for your community hospital. A gift in your Will costs nothing now but helps ensure the care you count on today continues for generations. Even better is that there are so many tax-saving tools that can be used in estate planning, that for some, even more can be left for your family by simply making a gift to charity through your Will.”
Creating or updating a Will protects the people you care about and gives you the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on your community. Legacy gifts help fund essential medical equipment, facility upgrades, education and staff training at the hospital — all vital to ensuring high-quality healthcare close to home.
Linda McGreevy, a Carleton Place resident, knows this well. She has made a gift in her Will to the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital and is the Change Creator Ambassador for the CPDMH Foundation. “October is the perfect time to think ahead,” states Linda McGreevy. “When you plan your legacy today, you’re giving the greatest gift of all — peace of mind for your loved ones and a stronger hospital for your neighbours.”
Through a series of Halloween-themed social media posts — featuring friendly ghosts, glowing pumpkins, and even a heart-loving vampire — the CPDMH Foundation is adding a little fun to an important conversation about legacy, love, and local impact.
This fall’s campaign encourages residents to cross “make my Will” off their checklist:
- Buy candy
- Carve pumpkins
- Write my Will
So, before the month slips away, brew a cup of tea, light a pumpkin candle, and carve out time to plan your Will. Your legacy lives on — and there’s nothing scary about that.
About the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital Foundation
The CPDMH Foundation raises funds to support exceptional patient care close to home. Through the generosity of community donors, the Foundation helps fund 100% of all patient care equipment, 10% of facility improvements, education and staff training that make a lasting difference in the lives of local families. Learn more at cpdmhfoundation.ca/plannedgiving.
For inquiries or to arrange a meeting to learn how a gift in your Will can make a lasting difference at your local hospital, please contact Robyn Arseneau, YOUR Executive Director and trusted gift planning advisor at 613-257-GIVE (4483) or by email to cpdmh.foundation@mrha.ca. For more information, visit our websites at: cpdmhfoundation.ca/plannedgiving and willpower.ca/charities/cpdmhfoundation. Keep your community healthy — no hocus-pocus required.
Media Release submitted by Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital
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