Asking the ‘Why?' Questions
Published Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Meet Chantal Boutotte, Manager, Major Gifts and Campaigns at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
Giving back to the community is something Chantal Boutotte's family engrained in her from an early age. That experience has made the world of difference in her position as Manager, Major Gifts at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation – but maybe not in the ways you'd expect. One of the important things she learned is that people can give back in different ways.
“Growing up, we were taught that if you can't give financially, you can still give of your time,” Chantal said. “As kids, we'd stuff envelopes and help out in other ways instead of donations.”
She also saw firsthand the impact on others of giving back – how giving time or a donation can vastly improve their lives. Chantal instils that same sense of giving in her two children. For example, they might ask for donations instead of presents at their birthday parties.
Fundraising wasn't a career path for Chantal until recently. Chantal worked in retail after graduating from the Hospitality program at Confederation College. She always had a head for numbers, so Chantal moved on to finance, working as a bank teller and moving up to a management position. However, work/life balance was something her family needed.
“I believe in the power of positive intentions. Everything happens for a reason,” she said. “Last year, I put it out to the universe that I wanted something different.”
The universe provided when Chantal joined the Foundation in October 2024. Although the worlds of banking and fundraising seem different on the surface, they share the same common core: helping people.
“Both positions are about relationship building and helping people achieve goals,” Chantal said. “For this role, I talk to the people who have the opportunity to make a large impact on local healthcare and help them find what works best for their philanthropic goals.”
Her natural curiosity helps.
“A lot of my job is meeting with donors and asking the ‘Why?' questions. I get to help people give back to the communities in the ways that they want. That is my guiding compass. If I connect with people and listen to their stories, we can find ways for them to donate that makes the most sense for their values and their circumstances.”
She is also a storyteller in those relationships, showing the direct impact donations to the Health Sciences Foundation have on patients and families – and her own family story is one of them. The Our Hearts at Home Cardiovascular Surgery Campaign is close to her own heart because she saw what travelling for heart surgery means.
“My grandfather had to leave Thunder Bay to get cardiac care in Hamilton,” Chantal said. “He ended up passing away there. It was a hard time for the small support group we had there, far away from home. Having cardiac surgery services here in Thunder Bay would have been so much better for my grandfather and for the family.”
When she's not at the Foundation, Chantal spends most of her time with her two children, watching her daughter compete for the Giant Gymnastics competitive team or her son play soccer on the boys' U9 team for the Chill. In the winter they enjoy skiing and skating. In the summer they enjoy spending as much time as they can at the family camp or her boyfriend's cabin. She also enjoys running, music, and great food.
Chantal sees her role at the Foundation as another way to inspire her children.
“I am grateful to have this role because I am able to uplift others in the community while being a great role model for my children, because my future, our futures, depend on enhancing the lives of others.”