Foundation spotlight series: Nicola Valley Health Care Endowment Foundation

How long have you been with the Foundation?

Jerry: I’ve been a Nicola Valley Health Care Endowment Foundation (NVHCEF) board member since about 1980. I’ve had various executive positions with the Foundation and I’m currently the Vice President and the acting President.

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

Jerry:  We strive to continually improve health care in the Nicola Valley. We service a large area, including several First Nation communities and many rural populations as well. Nicola Valley Hospital is located at the junction of several major transportation routes and the emergency department is a busy one. We do everything we can to help make sure it’s ready.

Our Board is made up of 10 volunteers, from many different walks of life who are all long-term residents of the Nicola Valley. We take pride in managing all our affairs, including fundraising, with minimal administrative assistance and no paid staff.

The NVHCEF has been funding local health-care projects in the Nicola Valley since the early 1980s. The Foundation is a registered charity and all funds donated go directly to supporting local health care.

Do you have any favourite fundraising campaigns current and past?

Jerry: The emergency department upgrade that completed in 2019 was my favourite project. We contributed more than $550,000 to kickstart the upgrade. Local Nlaka'pamux and Syilx First Nations contributed the art wall that was part of the project and the Nicola Valley Health Care Auxiliary donated $150,000 as well. The whole community came together in support of that project and it was a very successful effort on the Foundation’s part. We actually raised more money than we needed to meet our commitment.

Our emergency department sees many patients each day and it’s crucial we can manage accidents as well as other medical issues. Another project I’m excited about is our latest donation to the hospital of a portable x-ray unit that can be used in the emergency department and other areas of the hospital. Our next major initiative will be to replace our aging main x-ray unit and all the accessories that come with it.

With our aging population, I’m hoping in future that we’ll have more opportunities to support increases to end-of-life care capacity here in the Nicola Valley.

Our Foundation owns the property surrounding Nicola Valley Hospital and we are very proud of the peaceful, green space we’re able to provide at the site. We lease an acre of the property to the Community Garden Society for a dollar each year. Their substantial vegetable yield is mostly delivered to the local Food Bank and to Merritt’s Soup Bowl, who both provide healthy meals to a lot of people in our community. This is a great example of how we can contribute to the health of our community beyond the walls of the hospital.

The pergola on the property was built by the carpentry class at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and is regularly used by patients and staff at the hospital.

What are your words to live by?

Jerry: “Do the right thing.” I’m on several community boards and have been my entire adult life. I believe it’s crucial that individuals get involved in their community and help to make good, local decisions. 

My wife is a retired registered nurse who spent much of her career at Nicola Valley Hospital in several capacities, so I was always aware of local health-care issues and as one of five boys growing up here, there were many visits to the emergency room during my childhood. I understood early in life that health care is very important for all residents.

What is the total donation amount made to IH to date?

Jerry: The Foundation has donated nearly $3 million towards projects in Merritt in the last forty years. This includes large projects at the hospital like the emergency department upgrade, but it also includes smaller, more frequent contributions for equipment purchases. We also regularly support Gillis House, the long-term care home in Merritt.

We are surrounded by generous people, who make our projects come to reality when they are asked to help.

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