Thunder Bay, ON – With a week left until Christmas, the Grand Christmas Tree in the lobby of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is being filled with personalized stars – each representing a donation to this year’s Christmas Wish List. Every day many more stars are added, showcasing the generosity of our community during this giving season.
Today, another star was added, representing a tremendous gift from the John Andrews Foundation.
Allan McKitrick, Chairman of the John Andrews Foundation announced, “It is our pleasure to present a donation of $86, 266 to help purchase items on the Christmas Wish List. This amount will go directly to fund vital, life-saving equipment such as a Neonatal Ventilator for the NICU, a Birthing Bed for the Labour and Delivery Unit, an Intracranial Pressure Monitor for the ICU and three Defibrillators for the Emergency Department.”
“We are confident that others in the community will continue to support the Christmas Wish List, and raise the balance outstanding to fully purchase all six items,” continued McKitrick. “It is our hope that our gift complements the generosity already shown by so many who have already chosen to make a gift. These items provide a huge benefit to patient care at the Health Sciences Centre and hence the citizens of Northwest Ontario.”
The grand total for all the equipment on the list is $142,423. With ongoing donations from people in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario, in addition to this leading gift by the John Andrews Foundation, this Christmas is looking very bright at the Health Sciences Centre.
In addition to the generous gift to the Wish List items, the John Andrews Foundation also announced a donation in the amount of $30,000 to top up funding for the purchase of a new YAG laser in the Lions Vision Care Centre at TBRHSC, which was just recently installed.
“The John Andrews Foundation was set up by the late John Andrews, a Thunder Bay Industrialist and Philanthropist and donations are made to charities in Northwestern Ontario,” commented McKitrick. “To date we have distributed nearly $5,000,000 in funding, including over $700,000 to the Health Sciences Centre.”
“I’m humbled by today’s announcements,” said Dr. Mark Henderson, Executive Vice President, Patient Services, and Acting Interim President & CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. “The equipment being funded through the Christmas Wish List, in addition to the YAG laser, ensures we can provide world-class care for our patients and families, when and where they need it. This gift from the John Andrews Foundation is incredible and reaffirms their commitment to healthcare. Today is not the first time we’ve been fortunate to receive funding from the John Andrews Foundation – in fact, they have been major supporters of our Health Sciences Centre since we built this facility, and of the Northern Cancer Research Foundation prior to that. Most recently, they made a significant gift to our Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign. When we have leaders in our community who choose to make healthcare a priority, we all receive a wonderful gift.”
Concluded McKitrick, “We are proud to carry on the legacy of John Andrews and his wife Rheta in supporting worthwhile causes, such as world-class healthcare. Mr. Andrews was a self made man with a deep social conscience and his Foundation was dedicated to the well-being of our community. I hope that, through the gifts we’ve made today, we can inspire many others to give this season to guarantee a Christmas where patients and families can find comfort in knowing the equipment needed at our Health Sciences Centre is on its way.”
Leading up to Christmas, donations are still being gratefully accepted to the Christmas Wish List to support the gift made today by the John Andrews Foundation.
Gifts can be made:
Online: healthsciencesfoundation.ca/wishlist
In Person: Health Sciences Foundation Donation Centre (inside Health Sciences Centre, next to Robin’s Donuts)
By Phone: 345-4673
By Mail: Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, 980 Oliver Rd. Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6V4
