Annual General Meeting: Sharing Stories of Gratitude

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The Foundation invites the community to our AGM on Thursday, March 5th at 6:30. The meeting will be in the Aberdeen Hospital Boardroom on the 1st Floor*.
Pictured left to right. Front: Harry Munro, Janice Fraser, Lisa MacDonald, Melissa Jackson, Valerie Ryan, Robyn Eaton, Executive Director Michelle Ferris; Back: Mark Wiseman, Rae Gunn, Neil Bysterveldt, Marsha Sobey, Frank Sobey, Sean Murray. Missing: Hilary Amit, Peter Bennett, Jeffrey Burrows, Cheryl Fraser, Heidi Jamieson-Mills, Heather MacDonald, Jim Shaw, and Dr. Aaron Smith.
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In a health system facing many challenges, there is also much to be grateful for. That is why gratitude is the theme for Aberdeen Health Foundation’s Annual General Meeting this year.
The Foundation’s 2020 Report to Community features some of these stories, including accounts of individuals making a difference, effective community partnerships and enduring legacies. The report highlights one woman’s years of donating that added up significantly, and another who went on a fundraising mission creating change for babies born with high levels of bilirubin. Also featured is the special way that music therapy enhances the lives of patients, and a family’s remarkable story of trauma and recovery that inspired and helped launch a new giving program recognizing compassionate and exceptional care. And the list goes on.
This past year and the wonderful stories that go with it are really just the tip of the iceberg. In 2019 the Foundation directed the final instalment of $750,000 to purchase a CT Scanner for the hospital, and over $350,000 to mental health, oncology, the women and children’s unit, continuing education for health care providers, community-based health programs and physician recruitment. This brings the total funding since the Foundation began in 1986 to a remarkable $25 million in capital and program improvements.
An underlying story of the Health Foundation is the way in which the community’s generosity has been amplified by extraordinary stewardship.
Underpinning the Foundation when it was created was the vision to endow donor gifts and use income earned on the invested endowment to provide annual support for the hospital year after year. And this is how they have grown donor impact ever since.
The Foundation’s portfolio has been managed since inception by the Board of Directors, without the services and associated costs of a fund manager. The sound advice and investment skills of volunteer board members has produced incredible results. It also means that an estimated $8.6 million dollars in management fees have been saved, remaining in the funds held to continue growth and earning. This generates approximately $300,000 in annual spending today that would not have been possible without the acumen and dedication of the Directors who serve on the Foundation’s Investment Committee.
“The financial support for health care that has been achieved through the kindness of donors coupled with wise investment has placed our Foundation in a unique and enviable position,” says Aberdeen Health Foundation Chair, Robyn Eaton. “I cannot emphasize enough how fortunate our community is in this regard. The vision of our founders will continue to provide profound benefits to every person who lives here, for generations to come.”
The Aberdeen Health Foundation is proud to celebrate the winning equation that is at work every day in Pictou County – donor generosity plus stewardship equals huge impact on health outcomes. The Aberdeen Health Foundation invites everyone to the Annual General Meeting on March 5, 2020 to hear some first person stories of gratitude.
*(Use stairs next to the Main Entrance or elevator to the right when entering via doors from the parking lot).