Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation Report
THUNDER BAY – Healthbeat – There was a sense of excitement at the Health Sciences Foundation’s first board meeting of the year. After all the formality of the Annual General Meeting in September, we were looking forward to working together on this year’s challenges and opportunities.
Special Events Help Raise Funds
On September 20 we were well-fed and entertained at the Janssen Inc. Dinner with Food Network Celebrity Chef Corbin Tomaszeski. Chef Corbin made the evening a wonderful triumph, treating our taste buds to a gourmet meal that featured pancetta wrapped pickerel, apple-wood smoked bison filet, and a decadent dessert. Excellent food, and wonderful company was enhanced by Chef Corbin’s personality and humour. The event raised money for Thunder Bay Regional’s Health Sciences Centre’s Renal Department. Thank you to all that made this event possible.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a month that’s focused on a disease that has touched a number of members of our Board. On Friday October 18th supporters gathered for the Annual Tbaytel Luncheon of Hope, featuring broadcaster and humourous emcee, Maureen Holloway. Maureen talked about her cancer journey and delighted us with hysterical anecdotes. This event was sold out and made a huge difference for breast cancer patients and their families through the Breast Cancer Fund of the Northern Cancer Fund.
That same day, our applications for the 4th annual Family CARE Grants program, jointly administered by the Volunteer Association to the Health Sciences Centre and the Health Sciences Foundation, were due. This $60,000 program will fund grants of up to $2,500 requested by Health Sciences Centre staff. The Committee will include members of the Volunteer Association, previous recipients, Foundation Board and staff, and community members. This committee plans to work long hours to evaluate the applications. This grant program makes the care Health Sciences Centre staff offer every day that much better.
Save a Heart Ball
We’re also preparing for the Balmoral Park Acura Save a Heart Ball this Saturday. The funds raised during this gala evening contribute to world-class cardiac care at the Health Sciences Centre. Generous support at events like these translates to new equipment, like Intravascular Ultrasound, which allows patients to stay closer to home while receiving care. Putting the best tools in the hands of our interventional cardiologists means the program will continue to grow and change.
The Board of Directors is a dedicated group of volunteers driven by passion to improve care for our friends and families. We are looking forward to celebrating those advancements with the community throughout the coming board year.
David Knutson,
Chair, Board of Directors, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation