A home from home

Fort Rouge

If walls could talk, those at the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg would surely have tales to tell.

The personal care home, located at 276 Hugo St. N., is celebrating 120 years this year since its doors first opened on McDermot Avenue — and the roots of its origins can actually be traced back to 1883.

The Convalescent Home of Winnipeg was officially established in 1906 by the Women’s Hospital Aid Society to help relieve overcrowding at Winnipeg General Hospital (now Health Sciences Centre) during a severe typhoid epidemic.

During recent renovations at the home, a framed letter was discovered in the room of one of the residents. It’s addressed to Willy Finke at a German address, dated Sept. 20, 1948, and signed by J. Edgar Hoover, a famous former director of the FBI. The Hoover letter has become a bit of a mystery at the Convalescent Home, and staff and board members of the facility are asking anyone who might have any knowledge of its origins to reach out.

“The letter came to light as we were moving residents around,” said Sherry Heppner, the Convalescent Home’s development co-ordinator. “It was hanging in plain sight … and now our curiosity is piqued. Does anyone out there recognize this?

“It appears J. Edgar Hoover is trying to help a gentleman in Germany establish a police force after the war. We can’t find a Mr. Finke on our records here. We’re just at a loss.

“We thought it might make an interesting story for the community, and if anyone knows anything about it, we’d love to hear from them,” Heppner added.

Apart from the specifics of the Hoover letter, Heppner said Winnipeggers are also invited, in the home’s anniversary year, to share tales of the place or family members who might have lived there.

“If anyone has any stories to share, we’d love to hear them,” she said.

Reflecting on the history of the Convalescent Home, Heppner said it has always strived to be a place that people can call ‘home.’

“If you don’t have someone there for you when you’re aging, what do you do?” she said. “Everyone deserves to have some joy, and some dignity.”

Heppner said the Convalescent Home is in the midst of a revitalization donor drive campaign, dubbed Rooms to Thrive, which was launched last year to help revitalize residents’ rooms and keep the home’s legacy going. It aims to raise $1.5 million.

Bob Cox, board chair of the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg, emphasized the good work that goes on at the home and the role care homes play in the community.

“Personal care homes don’t always get the attention for the things they do every day, which is looking after seniors and enhancing the quality of their lives at the end of their life,” Cox said.

“We’re here for the long-term. The level of care at the home is high, and it’s an environment where the residents are respected and their needs are met.”

Anyone with a Convalescent Home of Winnipeg story to share or information on the origin of the However letter is asked to contact Heppner at sheppner@tchw.com

Visit tchw.com to learn more about the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg.