Revelstoke District Health Foundation lends a helping hand

By RDHF/Melissa Jameson

 This story first appeared in print in the February 2021 issue of Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine. Read the e-edition here:

The Revelstoke District Health Foundation spent much of this past year providing assistance for local initiatives aimed at combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Steven Hui, Revelstoke District Health Foundation chairman, said while 2020 was a busier year than anticipated it’s “always good to help where we can.”

Some of the projects the foundation provided assistance on include manufacturing neck guards for medical personnel, funneling donations towards the purchase of personal protective equipment, assisting with the purchase of a ventilator and sponsoring a series of local radio ads reminding people to practice physical distancing and take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) became apparent to the Revelstoke District Health Foundation (RDHF) early on, said Hui.

“We were seeing masks, gloves, disinfectant, those kinds of things hard to come by early on. We started hearing about organizations and businesses struggling to keep workers and clients safe,” said Hui. The RDHF made a $2,600 donation towards PPE, hand sanitizers and disinfectants. Non-profit organizations in Revelstoke were able to access funds by making an application via the Revelstoke Community Foundation.

A project that saw 126 neck guards made for medical personnel at Queen Victoria Hospital came about when hospital staff said they weren’t able to obtain them through regular channels. A $1,000 donation from Speers Construction went towards the cost of labour to manufacture the neck guards, while Shade Sails made a donation of labour to manufacture 40 of the 126 masks.

Hui also pointed to the efforts of local businesses such as Monashee Spirits & Distillery and Kawakubo Japanese Restaurant as examples of how the community has come together to help out during COVID-19. Early on, Monashee Spirits began providing sanitizer made from distillation by-product at no cost to the community. Hui said the RDHF and the RCF were able to come forward to help out.

During the first lockdown in the Spring of 2020, Kawakubo held a one-night fundraiser before temporarily closing. The restaurant’s owner, Shinji Kawakubo, announced all sales would be donated to the RDHF to assist in purchasing equipment for Queen Victoria Hospital. Kawakubo raised an incredible $9,793. That, coupled with a $52,446 grant from the Canadian Medical Association, allowed the RDHF to purchase a ventilator for Queen Victoria Hospital.

Revelstoke Heath Foundation continues to support healthcare studies

Residents at Mt. Cartier Court enjoy shade provided by a new outdoors
Shade Sails cover. Photo: Contributed by RDHS

Education is a large part of the work the foundation has done historically, said Hui. In January 2020, the RDHF provided eight annual scholarships of $1,500 to students enrolled in post secondary health related fields. In Spring 2020 a class of students graduated from the health care assistant program at Okanagan College Revelstoke. The RDHF provided 10 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each to local students in that program.

Other donations provided by the RDHF during 2020 included:

-A $7,328 donation to purchase a blanket warmer for Mount Cartier Court.

-A $2,500 donation to support the Together in Movement and Exercise (TIME), a program offered through the Revelstoke Recreation Program for people with mobility issues.

-A $9,000 contribution towards purchase of a permanent shelter for the Mount Cartier Court transportation bus. The new shelter will be located onsite at Queen Victoria Hospital and construction is slated for spring 2021.

-Assisting with a project that saw the addition of a shade sail to the courtyard at Mount Cartier’s Cottage A. The total project cost was $22,243 and was made possible with the assistance of the Revelstoke Hospital Auxiliary, the Revelstoke Credit Union’s Community Giving Program and Shade Sails Canada.

As well, the RDHF is giving special recognition to Pauline Baird and Ann Ratchford, who have organized an annual raffle for many years to raise money for the Mount Cartier Court Fund to allow for the purchases of services and items that add to the safety and quality of life of the residents who live there.

For more information about the Revelstoke District Health Foundation, or to make a donation visit revelstokehealthfoundation.com