Season of Giving: A Family’s Tribute Renews the Fifth Floor Lounge

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Friday, December 5, 2025, …. When you talk to Darrell Rushton about Aberdeen Health Foundation, what stands out is how simply he describes his giving. He talks about it in a straightforward way, without fuss or embellishment. As if supporting the hospital is just something that makes sense. He has lived in Pictou County for more than 55 years, where he built a 40-year career with Sobeys, retiring as President of Wholesale Operations over a decade ago. Darrell stays connected now through his morning coffee groups and long-time community ties. Giving back, he says, “Just feels right.”

Darrell’s connection to the Foundation reaches all the way back to its earliest days, when the first capital campaign set out to help the hospital purchase essential equipment the government could not fund at the time. He remembers being contacted directly. “Scott Weeks was on the committee. He called me up, and that’s how I got started donating,” he recalls. “My name is even on the plaque downstairs from that time.” Darrell has continued to give whenever he could, encouraged by what he hears around town. “I hear all good reports, all positive. That encourages me to keep giving.”

His most personal gift came over two years ago. Darrell lost his wife, Frances, in 2009 after forty-nine years of marriage. She was a gentle, family-orientated person, and he wanted to honour her in a way that would help others. When he approached the Foundation for ideas, the fifth-floor lounge at Aberdeen Hospital stood out as a space that could benefit, a sunlit room used daily by patients and families. “I asked what I could do, and they mentioned the sunroom could really use an update, so that’s where we started.”

Photo Caption: The fifth-floor sunroom at Aberdeen Hospital, renewed in memory of Frances Rushton.

With Darrell’s support, the lounge received a full refresh, complete with new furnishings, updated decor and a plaque honouring Frances. The updates created a more comfortable place for families to sit, visit and take in the view. When the work was finished, Darrell and his family, some visiting from Ontario and Halifax, went together to see the space. “We thought it was beautiful. They did a very good job.”

Photo Caption: A plaque inside the sunroom honours Frances Rushton and the Rushton family’s thoughtful donation to the space.

Darrell hears about the hospital often through his morning coffee group, where eight or ten friends meet regularly, many of whom support the Foundation in their own ways. “The talk usually comes around to the hospital and the good work they’re doing,” he says. For Darrell, that kind of feedback is more than enough. “We all speak positively about the Aberdeen, so everyone helps where they can.” And he continues to do the same – “I think I’ll head over to the hospital this afternoon,” he adds. “I want to make another donation.”

While Darrell knows not everyone is able to give as he does, he hopes people understand why it matters. “They do so much good for so many people, in so many different ways.”

Michelle Ferris, Executive Director of the Aberdeen Health Foundation, says his generosity shows the heart of community giving. “In this work we see so many examples of how one person’s kindness can create comfort for many others. People like Darrell, especially at this time of year, remind us of what community really means: People doing what they can to make things a little better for someone else.” As the Foundation nears its 40th anniversary in 2026, she says it feels fitting to highlight someone who has supported this work since the very start.

The Aberdeen Health Foundation is the leading charity for enhancing health care in Pictou County. In 2025, the Foundation has so far invested over $2.4 million to fund medical equipment and enhance health programs at the Aberdeen Hospital and in the community. Your contribution can be the catalyst for even greater change — find out how you can make an impact here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle Ferris
Executive Director
Aberdeen Health Foundation

902-752-7600 ext. 4442
Michelle.Ferris@nshealth.ca