Christina & Hedley G. Ivany Charitable Foundation Announced Legacy Gift to Support Mental Health at Northwood

Last week, Northwood friends, residents, and supporters gathered for a celebratory luncheon at the Halifax Campus, where the Christina & Hedley G. Ivany Charitable Foundation announced a profound and lasting commitment to Northwood through a legacy gift supporting mental health programs in perpetuity.

The Foundation pledged $67,500 annually, ensuring stable, long-term funding for Northwood’s Seeds of Success programming—an initiative focused on emotional well-being, social connection, and mental health supports for people living in long-term care.

This legacy gift carried special meaning for the Ivany family. Hedley G. Ivany, a respected community leader, worked closely with Northwood founder Ed Roach to help shape an organization rooted in dignity, inclusion, diversity, and community connection. His belief in ensuring seniors could live their best possible lives guided his early work with Northwood and inspired decades of continued family involvement.

The gift also reflects a deeply personal chapter in the Ivany family’s history. Hedley’s daughter became the first young person to live in care at Northwood Halifax, where she received support while living with mental illness. The Foundation has supported Northwood since 2009 and previously made possible the naming of Northwood’s second long-term care community in Bedford, Christina & Hedley Ivany Place.

Today’s announcement represented the continuation of a remarkable legacy—one that will strengthen mental health supports for generations to come.

Northwood expressed deep appreciation for the Foundation’s continued leadership at a time when few charities focus specifically on the emotional and mental well-being of older adults. This extraordinary generosity will allow Northwood to expand and sustain programming that fosters connection, resilience, and dignity.

About Northwood

Northwood is one of Atlantic Canada’s largest and most trusted providers of continuing care, offering long-term care, community outreach, home care, independent living, and wellness services. For more than 60 years, Northwood has championed dignity, connection, and community for people of all ages who require support. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves to live more, Northwood continues to innovate and lead in care, housing, and supportive services across Nova Scotia.

Learn more at northwoodcare.ca.

About the Northwood Foundation

The Northwood Foundation raises funds to support programs, services, and capital needs that enhance the quality of life for Northwood residents, tenants, clients, and the broader community. Through donor-funded initiatives such as recreation programs, mental health supports, technology for connection, and essential resources promoting dignity and independence, the Foundation helps ensure every person served by Northwood can live their best possible life.

Learn more at northwoodfoundation.ca.