Monday, July 18, 2016
Hello everyone,
We extend a heartfelt welcome back to all of our donors, in-kind supporters, sponsors and volunteers who have been able to return home. For those who have not been as fortunate, please know that our thoughts are with you and your families.
We want to take this opportunity to provide an update on the Northern Lights Health Foundation and the status of our organization since the Wildfire Evacuation on May 3.
The Health Foundation closed on May 3, with all staff evacuating safely. We resumed operations on June 21 and reopened to the public on July 4. Recognizing the tough times our community is facing, we are currently assessing our operations and the best direction to move forward.
We want to take a moment to recognize the remarkable job done by the physicians, nurses and support staff who safely evacuated 105 patients from the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, in addition to providing health care services to individuals evacuated north of town on May 3.
We would also like to recognize the countless individuals who worked tirelessly to ensure the Health Centre was back up and running. This facility is vital to our community and we cannot thank you enough.
Further to this, the generosity shown towards the Health Foundation has been profound. We have seen an outpouring of support across Canada, including Markham Stouffville Hospital, who raised funds through their 11th annual Nursing Week Bowling Challenge; Tim Hortons who fundraised through their mobile coffee service for First Responders during the Evacuation; and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy who donated over $30,000 towards a bronchoscope for Respiratory Therapy. The 2nd Annual Jeremy Snook Memorial Raffle also continued to do well, selling 20 tickets during the Evacuation.
In other news, after 10 years of service, Susanne Chaffey is leaving the Health Foundation to pursue new opportunities. Susanne joined the organization in 2006 as the Special Events and Annual Giving Officer and progressed into the Executive Director role, which she has held since 2010. Cindy Amerongen has recently joined the team and will commence full time Executive Director duties on Aug. 19. We wish Susanne the best of luck on her future endeavours.
Cindy is a committed community member with a long history of volunteerism and senior leadership positions in education, fundraising, corporate investment and community development. She holds a Masters of Arts with dual specialization in Work, Organization and Leadership, and Adult Education.
Cindy has lead four major capital campaigns as well as numerous program and service campaigns, and has provided leadership to boards and management teams on strategic planning, charitable giving, and fund development policies and procedures.
Cindy is looking forward to working with the Health Foundation Board of Directors and Staff, community members, donors and the Alberta Heath Services team to advance the scope of health services in our region. Cindy invites community members to express their desire to build a strong, resilient and full service community by participating in the Gratitude Campaign.
Please join us as we say farewell to Susanne and welcome Cindy, with a celebratory Open House!
Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: the Northern Lights Health Foundation office. Directions are available here.
RSVP here
Thank you for your ongoing support of health care in our community.
Sincerely,
Melanie Antoine
Board Chair
Northern Lights Health Foundation
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