Foundation spotlight series: Revelstoke District Health Foundation

Steven: I’ve been a director with the Revelstoke and District Health Foundation (RDHF) since 1991 and became chair in 2016.

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

Steven: Our strength is the ability to create partnerships and collaborations within the community. Often projects need multiple sources of funding. The Foundation can move quickly and address community urgent needs.

At the onset of COVID, the Foundation facilitated the manufacture of protective masks/neck guards by engaging a local manufacturer of shade sails using their staff of seamstresses. We also provided financial support to non-profit organizations to purchase disinfectant and personal protection equipment. To reduce the risk of spread of COVID, we launched a community-wide public education campaign.

The small population, geographic location and accessibility create challenges for Revelstoke and district residents and visitors to access the medical care in a timely manner. Looking for opportunities to expand the scope of medical services within our community has been the most challenging, but then it provides the most gratification.

We also strongly believe in our scholarships and bursaries in medical field studies. Education and the support for persons entering the health industry translates into more accessibility and quality of care.

Do you have any favourite fundraising campaigns current and past?

Steven: The fundraising campaign and the construction of the Queen Victoria Hospital helicopter landing project in 2017 stands out as our most successful campaign. The project had an immediate impact by providing emergency transportation to those in greatest need.

The helipad was early in the planning stages when a long-time resident, Ed Deloughery, expressed great interest in supporting the project. He offered his knowledge from his career of working in construction. He passed away suddenly in 2016 and his family chose to have donations in lieu of flowers to be contributed to the helipad project. More than $60,000 was donated from family and friends in his memory thus forming the catalyst for the project.

The campaign raised more than $700,000 in cash and donations in kind in less than four months. The entire community—residents, visitors, businesses, non-profits and agencies—Columbia Shuswap Regional District Area B and the Province of BC stepped to the plate to bring this to fruition.

Another initiative was the purchase of the Rendever virtual reality (VR) system for our long-term care facility, Mount Cartier Court. The VR system allows residents to participate in 3D virtual tours to exotic places in the world. The Rendever purchase coincided with an upgrade of audio-visual equipment, including large screen TVs, computer hardware and projectors. This equipment allows livestream visits and social interaction with people outside of the care home, something that was essentially non-existent for long periods of time during COVID.

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

Steven: In 2020, a local restaurant, Kawakubo Japanese Restaurant, had to shutdown for an indefinite period as part of the province-wide COVID lockdown. On their last day of operation, they donated all their sales— $9,793—towards the purchase of a portable ventilator for Queen Victoria Hospital.

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