Nearly six decades after making Niagara their home, Vishva and Kamlesh Sharma are continuing their long history of community support with a $500,000 donation to the Niagara Health Foundation.
The contribution will support Niagara Health’s highest priority needs, including healthcare services, innovation and patient care for communities throughout the region.
“Niagara has given our family so much,” said Vishva and Kamlesh Sharma. “We’ve built our lives here, raised our children here and watched our family grow here. Supporting healthcare is simply our way of giving back to the community that has given us so much. We hope our family’s story encourages others to leave Niagara even stronger for the generations that follow.”
Vishva and Kamlesh Sharma arrived in Niagara in the late 1960s, where they built their lives, raised their family and became active members of the community. Over the years, their involvement has included philanthropy and support for initiatives intended to strengthen Niagara and create opportunities for others.
One of their most significant early contributions was helping establish Niagara’s first Hindu temple. As the region’s South Asian community was growing, the temple provided a place of worship while also serving as a gathering place for families and newcomers and helping preserve cultural traditions.
The temple remains an important part of the community decades later.
The family’s $500,000 gift to the Niagara Health Foundation continues that commitment to Niagara and reflects their belief in accessible, high-quality healthcare.
“The Sharma family represents the very best of community leadership and philanthropy,” said Andrea Scott, President and CEO of Niagara Health Foundation. “For nearly sixty years they have invested in Niagara and helped shape the community we know today. Their extraordinary generosity and vision will have a lasting impact on healthcare in our region, helping ensure families have access to exceptional care for generations to come.”
For Vishva and Kamlesh Sharma, their approach to community service has centred on leaving Niagara stronger than they found it. Their legacy, according to the Foundation, has been shaped by the lives and communities they have supported rather than recognition or accolades.
The latest donation adds to decades of leadership and philanthropy by the Sharma family and will help support local healthcare for future generations.
The Niagara Health Foundation raises funds to support patient care across Niagara Health’s hospitals in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Fort Erie and Port Colborne. Donations help fund medical equipment, technology and facility enhancements, along with programs that support patient care across Niagara.
More information about the Niagara Health Foundation is available at www.BeTheReason.ca.
