The Moose Jaw Health Foundation (MJHF) celebrated volunteers, donors, and local hospital staff at the Heritage Inn on April 18, and presented a cheque for $469,285 to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
The MJHF holds its Healthcare Celebration every spring to formally donate the past year’s fundraising total, thank donors, present Healthcare Philanthropy Awards, and hear from patients and workers at the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital.
“The Healthcare Celebration was created to honour volunteers and those in the community who are special to us,” said Kelly McElree, executive director of the MJHF. “This was the 17th annual one, and donors and community members are invited along with members of the SHA and medical teams.
“It was really a wonderful program this year. The Healthcare Celebration took on new meaning because one of the Foundation’s board members, Vi Reaman, passed away recently.”
Reaman was a retired nurse whose career in health care spanned 50 years. It was announced at the event that the Acute Care Fund for Nurse Training would be renamed the Vi Reaman Acute Care Fund for Nurse Training in honour of Reaman.
McElree remarked on Reaman's career in healthcare for over 50 years, highlighting the generosity with which she gave of her time and what she meant to the community.
The Healthcare Philanthropy Awards recognize the contributions of the honoured organizations and individuals, who have given countless hours of their time to improve the lives of people in Moose Jaw and the surrounding areas.
Healthcare Philanthropy Awards were presented to:
- Moose Jaw Kinsman Club
- Prairie Hearts Quilters Guild
- Darlene Geib
- Deign Salido
Presentations were also made by Michael Sieferling, director of Mental Health and Addictions Services in Moose Jaw, and by Camron Howe, a MJHF board member who was successfully treated at the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital. Howe emphasized the importance of the hospital’s critical care services and noted that his work with the MJHF has now taken on special significance for himself and his family.
Andrew Will, CEO of the SHA, was present to accept the Foundation’s fundraising cheque to MJHF president Ryan Hrechka. Will took the opportunity to compliment the support the hospital and the MJHF receive from the community and said the partnership the Foundation shares with the SHA was critical to meeting health care challenges head on.
The $469,285 is to the SHA with the commitment that the entire amount stays in Moose Jaw. To date, McElree said, the MJHF has raised over $41 million for hospital equipment.
The focus of the MJHF’s next major fundraiser — the Family First Radiothon on May 4 and 5, is critical care at the Dr F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital. The Radiothon will broadcast live from the Town n’ Country Mall for 36 hours. The last Radiothon raised $159,914, including contributions from the Little Princess Ball and the MJHF Concerts in the Park series.
