Foundation spotlight series: East Kootenay Foundation for Health

June 7, 2024

Brenna Baker, executive director, EKFH, stands next to a neonatal intensive care warmer. It's one of the items the Foundation hopes to purchase through their Warm Embrace campaign to bring a neonatal intensive care unit to the East Kootenay.

Foundations in the Interior Region raise funds that support medical equipment, care needs, and innovative local initiatives in their communities. Each organization includes respected community leaders, volunteers and staff who are passionate about meeting the needs of patients and families in Interior Health. Thanks to the generosity of their supporters, we all have a stronger health system.

In this story in our series on the incredible health-care and hospital foundations throughout our region, we interviewed Brenna Baker, executive director of the East Kootenay Foundation for Health.

How long have you been with the East Kootenay Foundation for Health?

Brenna: I have been with the East Kootenay Foundation for Health (EKFH) for seven years.

Tell us about the focus of your Foundation and why what you do is important.

Brenna: Our focus is improving health care for all the East Kootenay Interior Health (IH) region. There are so many initiatives that we always have on the go. We are responsible for funding five hospitals, five long term care homes, three health care centres, and numerous community health programs. This includes the communities of Cranbrook, Creston, Kimberley, Invermere, Golden, Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford.

A photo of the East Kootenay Regional Hospital building taken at night lit up with blue and yellow stars along the roofline. — East Kootenay Regional Hospital lit up through EKFH’s annual Starlite Campaign. The holiday fundraising drive sees stars lit up on top of EKRH as donations are received.

Do you have any favourite fundraising campaigns current and past?

Brenna: We have had so many campaigns since I started with the East Kootenay Foundation for Health! I immerse myself in each campaign, as every single one is so important. We have had campaigns ranging from $200,000 to $2.5 million.

One of my favourite campaigns was “A Life Well Furnished.” We were able to raise $200,000 to replace the aging furniture in the residents’ rooms at Swan Valley Lodge in Creston. Swan Valley is our largest long-term care home in the East Kootenay.

The East Kootenay has so many needs and there just isn’t enough government funding to go around. This is where the EKFH comes into play. Our main goal is to improve health care, so we like to support new equipment, patient comfort and capital projects that are going to bring better outcomes for our residents.

-- Brenna Baker, executive director, EKFH

The team at Swan Valley Lodge is amazing but when I first toured the rooms seven years ago, I was disturbed to see the state of the worn-out furniture. I thought of my own dad, wondering what if he lived here? A person who has given so much over his lifetime to his community and having old and broken furniture, in probably his last home of his life. I really felt that these seniors deserved better.

A woman with long dark hair and wearing a face mask, long black sweater, blue jeans and boots holds a large cheque with a man with grey hair, glasses, a face mask, brown leather jacket and black pants in front of a hospital and sign that says Not Alone In support of our most vulnerable youth — EKFH executive director Brenna Baker (left) receives a $5,000 cheque from Rick Jensen (right) of the Rick and Marg Jensen Family Foundation. The donation was made for the Not Alone Campaign, supporting the development of a Foundry Centre in the East Kootenay.

We kicked off the campaign and raised the money quickly. Now thanks to our donors, IH has been able to replace the old furniture with beautiful dressers, nightstands, and wardrobes in 60 rooms at Swan Valley Lodge.

I always tell my children: 'Always give more then you take' and 'You can’t control anyone else. The only thing that you can control is the way you react to the situation.'

-- Brenna Baker, executive director, EKFH

Is there a particular donation over the years that stands out?

Brenna: There are so many donations that stand out, and I am so thankful for each and every donor.

One recent donation was a note slipped through our office door one night. It was handwritten by a child and had a toonie and a loonie included. It said “I, Jean Willers would like to give this money to the Babies who need it.”

A small yellow manila envelope sits next to a toonie and a loonie sitting on top a blue note that says I Jean Willers would like to give this money to the babies who need it. — A donation received from a child for EKFH’s Warm Embrace campaign to bring a neonatal intensive care unit to the East Kootenay.

This filled my heart as we are in the middle of our Warm Embrace Campaign to raise $1.8 million for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This made me so happy, as this little person already believes in the work that the Foundation does, and so happy that Jean is already a philanthropist. We really couldn’t do the work we do without our donors. Every bit helps and we have so many donors from all ages and all walks of life.

A blue circle with the words total donations to IH by East Kootenay Foundation for Interior Health to date: $17,511,539