In 1903 Annie A. Bond arrived in Winnipeg and soon realized that a separate hospital was required to meet the needs of children. At that time there were only 20 hospital beds available for children. In 1906 she rallied the Local Council of Woman and urged them to consider establishing a hospital devoted to the health care needs of kids. Eventually the council appointed a provisional board to study the advisability of such a hospital and stated that all funds would have to be raised by the personal efforts of the council and their friends. This marked a beginning of volunteer service and fundraising by the women of Winnipeg.
On February 6, 1909 the first Winnipeg Children’s Hospital opened in a three-story home on Beaconsfield Street and what started as a small group of ladies, branched out into organized Guilds. The organized Guilds which amalgamated in 2010 to create the Children’s Hospital Guild of Manitoba are: St. Agnes (est. 1909), St. John’s (est. 1915), Anne A. Bond (est. 1928), McKinnon (est. 1929), and Chown (est. 1936.).
The Children’s Hospital Guild of Manitoba was presented with the 2019 Manitoba Philanthropy Award for Outstanding Service Group by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Manitoba Chapter.
The Five Guilds of the Guild Council were the first recipients of the Manitoba Premier’s Volunteer Service Award in 1998 for their ongoing support & dedication to the Children’s Hospital. The Guild Council was nominated for this award by the Foundation and was chosen from 35 nominees in the inaugural year of the award.
On 8 April 1990, in honour of their outstanding contribution, the Guilds and Alumni Association of the Children’s Hospital were the proud recipient of the Teddy Awards for Builders.