The Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation presented a cheque for $500,000 to Grey Bruce Health Services’ Interim President & CEO Maureen Solecki and Chief of Medical Staff, Dr. Mike Marriott. The funds were earned in the Foundation’s Endowment during 2018.

“The Endowment reached two significant milestones this year,” said Foundation Chairman, Derek Smith. “Its first disbursement was a modest $20,000 back in 1998. These have grown each year as we deposited new donations. This year, the Fund is contributing a half million dollars!”

This brings the total provided from the Endowment for new medical equipment and staff education to more than $5 million over its 23-year history.

Tom Foster of Markdale was on hand to present the cheque to GBHS. In 2005, he established an endowment in memory of his wife Helen to support continuing education and training of nurses.

"We started Helen’s fund with a few small contributions and I donated each year. More recently, I purchased a life insurance policy, which will eventually contribute significantly more. Helen recognized a need to help nurses with specialized clinical training. I’m so proud to see her fund supporting nurses on the front lines of hospital care each year – I know Helen would be pleased.”

The Emerging Needs Fund contributed $360,000 towards the hospital’s most urgent needs for equipment. Contributions from named and designated funds were:

Cardiac Trust $13,000
D.S. Fleming $4,000
Peter Di Tursi $12,000
Brian Rudrick $4,000
Merna Litwiller $11,000
Cancer Care $3,500
Lois & Donald Dowkes $10,500
Percy & Kathleen Noble $2,750
Robert Edgar $10,500
IPM 2004 $2,500
Jessie Calder $9,500
Chris Coulter $2,500
Howey Memorial Fund $9,000
Shouldice $2,000
Catherine Taylor $7,500
Heart Care $1,400
Jean Clugston $7,500
Diagnostic Services $1,250
Large and Cardoso Vision Care $7,000
Helen Foster $1,000
Gordon & Doris Wilkinson $6,100
George Chamberlain $650
Marie & Carl Kellough $5,000
Ruth Hindman $550
Tom Williams $5,000
Rehabilitation $300

From a new cast saw in Ambulatory Care to renovations and ceiling lifts for the Cardiac Care Unit to a number of pieces of laboratory equipment, endowment donors helped provide new medical equipment across 9 different hospital departments. $10,650 of the total was designated for clinical staff education & training, with $1,000 provided by the Helen Foster Endowment.

“Generous people entrust us with their legacy gift. It’s their accomplishment,” says Charitable Giving Advisor, Willard VanderPloeg. Hundreds of Will bequests and other legacy gifts have been added to the Fund, where they are permanently invested. A portion of the income earned supports new equipment at the Hospital every year.

More information on the Caring for Tomorrow Endowment Fund is available by contacting the Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation at 519-372-3925.

source: media release, Owen Sound Regional Hospital Foundation