By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation Chair Gavin Ivory came to the October NHH board meeting basking in million-dollar success.
That would be $1.3-million, actually, since the foundation recently surpassed its own $25-million goal for the Exceptional Community Exceptional Care capital campaign by that amount.
Just for contrast, board member Don Morrison (who was also on the board during the capital campaign to raise money to build NHH) said that campaign raised $17.5-million back at the turn of the century.
The foundation’s biggest single event is coming up Nov. 2 – Galalicious, which will take place at 14 restaurants in Cobourg, Port Hope, Campbellford and Brighton. Tickets are now on sale.
Representing the auxiliary, Selena Forsyth sang the praises of 2024 Dixie Mikel Scholarship recipient Jacob Kim, an extraordinary young man who volunteered 520 hours at the hospital while attending a compressed nursing program at Trent University.
“We are hoping to have him back when he graduates,” she said.
The scholarship is named after the long-time auxiliary member who originally founded the student auxiliary volunteer program.
This current year is a good one, with the auxiliary donating $270,000 to the hospital, surpassing their original commitment.
Looking ahead, she said, “we’re off to a good start – aiming for a $185,000 donation and, at this moment, we are on track to exceed that.”
Helping with this aim is the fact that both their stores (the Little Treasure Shoppe in the hospital lobby and the Petticoat Lane thrift store) are experience sales 16% to 17% above this time last year.
“We are also very pleased with a significant influx of new volunteers, since our recruitment was launched last year, including nine co-op students from the local high school.”
As well, she said, “we were very pleased to hear NHH will be providing flu and COVID vaccinations for volunteers as well as staff.”
“We don’t have the final word on when we will be receiving flu vaccine and COVID vaccine, but it should be in the next little while – and the RSV vaccine,” President and Chief Executive Officer Susan Walsh said.
