Upcoming Community Events

Check out the two upcoming events below in support of York Central Hospital!

What:                   Vaughan Mom-Preneur Showcase

When:                  Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 10am – 4pm

Location:             Paradise Banquet Hall

Contact:               www.vaughanmompreneurs.com

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What:                   Being Elmo Family Film Event

When:                  Sunday, March 18, 2012 beginning at 11 a.m.

Location:             Bloor Cinema, Toronto

Contact:               www.elmo4zack.eventbrite.com           

                               zacksdream@rogers.com

All proceeds from these two events will go towards Zack’s Dream Room at York Central Hospital (zacksdreamroom.ychfoundation.ca)

Looking to host an event in support of York Central Hospital? Email Brian Mitchell today: bmitchell@yorkcentral.on.ca or check out our Third Party Guide: http://yorkcentral.on.ca/main/2010_foundation/pdfs/community%20events%20guide.pdf

2011 Moonlight & Magic Gala - Highlights Reel

President's Corner - Gala Wrap Up

On Friday, November 4^th, a magical, record-breaking event took place: our 24^th annual gala.

The Moonlight & Magic themed-event, held at LeParc Markham, was filled with great music, delicious food, spectacular entertainment and a lot of inspirational support for our hospital, York Central.

Our gala broke not one, but two records this year: one for highest revenues at $571,000 and the other for the most guests in attendance. More than 1,000 guests, sponsors, volunteers and donors attended the sold-out event.

This year’s funds will go towards the purchase of a standardized, state-of-the-art infusion pump system for York Central Hospital. The new pump system increases patient safety by auto-programming medication dispensing. This allows nurses and other staff to provide more beside attention and education to our patients and their families. This, in turn, results in greater interaction and recovery planning, improving the overall patient experience. York Central Hospital is one of only three hospitals in the region that has this standardized pump system, which was a safety compliance rating of 99.6%.

The impact of this pump system are resounding: it frees up precious time for our staff to spend with their patients, it provides life-saving medications and pain relief to seven out of every 10 patients and importantly, one standardized pump system decreases the costs associated with having several systems throughout the hospital. It is through your generosity that this investment is possible and we are incredibly grateful.

As President & CEO of the Foundation, I’ve learned that as much as we try to inspire our donors, in fact, our donors are the ones who inspire us. It is so rewarding to see events like the Moonlight & Magic Gala come to life because of the generosity, support and dedication of volunteers, sponsors, donors and guests like each of you. We are especially thankful to Bell, who has been our generous Presenting Sponsor for the past two years.

An event of this magnitude takes hundreds of hours of planning from dedicated volunteers and donors. We are so fortunate to have such an incredible group of volunteers who have worked over the past year to ensure this gala’s success. Under the leadership of Gala Chair Julie Fuda, our volunteers have worked day and night, along with our Foundation staff, to collect auction items, set up the venue and ensure the finishing touches were in place. We cannot thank you, our volunteers and donors, enough for everything you have done for our Gala, and everything you continue to do moving forward.

York Central Hospital’s vision is to become the “finest community hospital in Canada”, and through your incredible generosity, we are well on our way to realizing this goal – thank you!

We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support of our hospital. Your gifts of time, talent and donations are truly making a difference in the lives of our grateful patients.

Wishing you the best of health,

Bill Leacy

President & CEO

Third Party Event - Joy of Aging Raises $30K for YCH

On Sunday, October 23^rd 2011, more than 350 women gathered at Copper Creek Golf Club to raise funds for York Central Hospital, learn about fitness and healthy aging and build new friendships at the Joy of Aging event.

The fundraiser was organized by financial advisors, Tina Tehranchian and Janine Purves and their team at the Richmond Hill Branch of Assante Capital Management Ltd.  Ms. Tehranchian is also Board Member at York Central Hospital Foundation.

Tracy Moore, the host of CityLine on Citytv, hosted the third annual event.  The morning started with the beautiful sounds of Dave McLaughlin's saxophone, followed by a speech by Vivian Risi, owner of Royal LePage Your Community Realty, Director of York Central Hospital Foundation and the Platinum Presenting Sponsor of the event. Ms. Risi spoke to the guests about her history of philanthropy and her special relationship with York Central Hospital. 

Next, financial advisors, Tina Tehranchian and Janine Purves, also the Platinum Presenting Sponsors, delivered a fun and entertaining presentation about women and money followed by a money quiz.

Mysterion, the mind reader, dazzled and intrigued the audience with his ability to read minds. The keynote speaker, Susan Sommers, inspired the audience with her life story, recounting how she ran her first marathon at age 61 and her second at age 63, and offered useful tips for women on fitness and staying in shape.  With the engaging and informative keynote speaker, fun activities, an energizing fitness break sponsored by Vive Pilates and interesting sponsor booths to visit, the morning proved to be enjoyable and entertaining for the attendees.

“We are thrilled with the end result of this event and are pleased to be able to support a worthy organization like York Central Hospital,” said Tina and Janine. “Our guests, sponsors and volunteers of the Joy of Aging are helping to make a difference for the patients at our community hospital.”

The event helped raise $30,000 that will be used to fund three new and state of-the-art intravenous infusion pumps for York Central.

Over the past three years, the Joy of Aging has raised more than $70,000 for York Central Hospital.

Inspirational Gift: Dalton & Shirley Hicks Urology Clinic

On September 28, 2011, York Central Hospital Foundation celebrated the opening of the Dalton & Shirley Hicks Urology Clinic.

Donors, Hospital Staff, Foundation Board Members and Foundation staff attended the event to recognize the outstanding contribution of the Urology Clinic donors to our hospital.
 

We truly appreciate your commitment to our hospital and our grateful patients. Thank you for Caring to make a difference™!

Thank you to the following donors for generously funding the

Dalton & Shirley Hicks Urology Clinic

 

Pasquale Caggianiello

John Di Poce Family

Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc.

Dalton and Shirley Hicks

Joe and Lucy Lamanna & Family

Donald and Anna Little & Family

Ron and Marlene Lecompte

Proud Partners Golf Classic 2011

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Inspirational Gift - Elson and Joyce Miles

Retired farmers Elson and Joyce Miles have a long history of giving back to the community and this past year was no exception.

Recently, they supported York Central Hospital Foundation in a financially savvy way by donating shares to fund priority equipment projects. By transferring their shares intact, they helped to purchase life-saving medical equipment and avoided paying capital gain tax.

“Having lived in York Region our entire lives and seen the dramatic changes that have taken place, we understand how important community support is for our hospital,” they said. “It gives us great pleasure knowing we are playing a part in York Central’s efforts to improve health care for the people in our community.” 

Their gift helped to fund three priority projects: Minimally Invasive Surgery, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Patient Pump Project.

Last night, Elson and Joyce were honoured in a donor recognition ceremony at York Central Hospital. More than 20 past and present Board members, spouses, volunteers, hospital and Foundation staff and family members attended the momentous event. There were many laughs, memories and stories shared about the couple’s long history with the Foundation as well as their involvement in the community.

Speakers included York Central Hospital President & CEO, along with three physicians who spoke about each priority project and the impact of Elson and Joyce’s gift. Stan Neal, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and the colleague who recruited Elson to the Foundation more than 20 years ago, spoke of their history, dedication and vision along with a few personal stories. Dr. Nicholas Voudouris, Chair of the Board of Directors, ended the speeches by thanking the couple and presenting them with a card.

The rest of the event was filled with reminiscing, a lot of laughter and photos.

In addition to being generous donors, Elson and Joyce have been involved in the Foundation for more than 20 years. Elson has served as a Board Member and held a number of executive positions including Chair of the Board. He also played a pivotal role in the $35 million Share The Spirit of Care campaign by chairing the Steering Committee.

Their involvement in the community is equally impressive. Elson was a member and past president of the Markham Pizza Project, a school-based agricultural program. He was also president of the Unionville Home Society and served the Town of Markham as a councillor. Joyce has been involved with church choirs since she was a teenager and led her own choir “Cache Chorale” for 18 years, retiring in 2010. Today, she helps out by playing the organ for occasional weddings and funerals at the Presbyterian Church in old Markham.

Thank you Elson and Joyce for your continued support and commitment to health care in Southwest York Region! The world is truly a better place with community-minded volunteers like both of you.

President's Corner - Happy New (Fiscal) Year!

Today marks the first day of a new month and the first day of our next fiscal year.

This past year has been a tremendous success: we welcomed a new President & CEO to our hospital, York Central Hospital’s Board of Trustees appointed a new chair and vice-chair and we opened the region’s most advanced Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

And, we exceeded our fundraising goal for the year thanks to the incredible support from donors like you! Through your generosity, we were able to fund more than $1 million in medical equipment and technology, a newly renovated and expanded NICU and a second Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) Suite. This means York Central’s team of dedicated medical professionals will have the equipment and facilities they require to continue delivering expert and compassionate care to you, the patients.

Although we’re only a few hours into our new fiscal year, I can’t help but get excited about our projects and goals this year. The development of a two-site health care system is moving forward which means we’re one step closer to being able to provide expanded health care services to residents in Southwest York Region and beyond. We’ve have a new list of priority projects to fund this year, including renovating six paediatric rooms and outfitting them with new equipment.

We’re also raising funds to standardize intravenous pumps throughout the hospital.

Currently, the hospital uses eight different infusion pump systems that do not have built-in safety features. The pump selected by the Hospital is the Symbiq Infusion System – one with a near perfect safety rating.

This pump system increases safety for patients by auto-programming medications, preventing human errors.  They are electronically manufactured to detect potential errors, averting mistakes while tracking “near misses” for future improvement.  In addition, since the pumps are programmed to dispense the appropriate dosages, nurses and other staff members have more time to spend with patients, improving the overall quality of care.

Finally, we’ve welcomed a new Director of Major Gifts to our team, Luci Anderson. Luci has leadership experience in both the profit and non-profit sectors, including her most recent employer, Providence Healthcare Foundation, where she was the Director of Major Gifts & Campaigns.

With new leadership and several exciting projects under way to improve care for the people in our community, I’m hopeful, through your support, this year will be our best to date!

Wishing you the best of health,

Bill Leacy

President & CEO

President's Corner - Zack's Dream Room

It’s amazing what a community can accomplish when they work together.

Two weeks ago, we found out about a young boy named Zack Hamilton. Zack was born in 2007 with several medical conditions including a congenital heart defect, fluid on his brain, hearing loss and global developmental delay. Most uniquely, geneticists discovered Zack had a deletion of the 12^th chromosome – the only recorded case in the world.

Unfortunately, Zack passed away on March 10, 2011 at the age of three-and-a-half. Staff at York Central Hospital, who had become quite fond of Zack during his stays over his short life, put forth the idea of creating an Elmo-themed room in honour of their “frequent flyer”. Zack’s Dream Room was born.

Foundation staff worked with Zack’s mom, Heather, to create a website to raise the required $25,000 to make the room a reality and to raise awareness of this great cause.

The site has been live for less than two weeks and in that time, more than $10,000 has been raised from individuals and businesses alike. Several events within the community have been planned and more and more businesses have stepped forward, offering to donate proceeds from their services and products to Zack’s Dream Room. The outpouring of support has been outstanding!

Having been in fundraising for more than 20 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of families who seek to fundraise in honour of a loved one who has passed away. Their strength never ceases to amaze me, and the Hamiltons are no exception.

This particular case is especially unique as the project was started by staff. Not only does this showcase the incredible impact Zack and the Hamiltons have had on the YCH family, it also represents the character of our staff. Their dedication to their workplace and most importantly the patients is truly remarkable.

Donations to support Zack’s Dream Room can be made online or by calling the Foundation office at 905-883-2032.

Thank you to everyone who has showed their support for this special project. Through your generosity, we’re one step closer to creating an incredible tribute for this memorable little boy.  

Wishing you the best of health,

Bill Leacy

President & CEO

Inspirational Project - Zack Hamilton

On March 10, 2011, the world lost a very inspirational little boy, Zack Hamilton.

Zack was born in September 2007 with a congenital heart defect known as Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage (TAPVD). At two and a half weeks old, Zack underwent a procedure to repair his heart. Zack’s survival at that time, was the first of many miracles in his life.

Zack also had several other anomalies, including hearing loss, global developmental delay, feeding issues, a gastrostomy tube (G-Tube), seizures, and fluid in the brain. Though he had no official overall diagnosis, the genetics team discovered Zack had a deletion of the 12th chromosome. This deletion is the first recorded case in the world, making Zack a very special and unique little guy.

Although just 3 years old, Zack touched many more people that he ever could have realized. Life is best measured by impact and not duration. In that way, Zack lived a life of incredible importance.

To honour this amazing little boy, we are raising funds to dedicate a room to Zack at York Central Hospital decorated with his favourite character – Elmo.

You can help us make Zack’s Dream Room a reality by making an online donation now. Your tax-deductible gift will help ensure Zack’s memory continues to live on.

You can find out updates on this project through our Facebook account, Twitter page, and through Zack’s Dream Room Website. Information can also be found by visiting his mom, Heather's blog and Zack's Dream Twitter page.

For more information about the project, please contact:

Tammy Bucci
Major Gifts Officer
Tel: 905-883-1212 x7805
E-mail: tbucci@yorkcentral.on.ca

Alyshia Higgins
Stewardship and Communications Coordinator
Tel: 905-883-1212 x7810
E-mail: ahiggins@yorkcentral.on.ca  

Thank you for your support. Together, we are helping to honour this remarkable young boy in a truly special way.

Sincerely yours,

Alyshia

Stewardship & Communications Coordinator

Inspirational Gift - Andrea Tang

For the second year in a year, Andrea Tang has shown she has a heart of gold.

The 17-year-old recently celebrated her birthday and in lieu of gifts, asked friends and family to help her raise money for the John & Josie Watson Breast Health Centre at York Central Hospital.

Andrea started donating her birthday proceeds to YCH last year to show her support for the care her mother received at the hospital.

This year, Andrea donated $800 to the hospital. This, combined with last year's donation totals $1,500. Happy birthday Andrea, and thank you for Caring to make a difference!

(PHOTO: left to right - Wendy McInnis, Technical Specialist – Mammography, Andrea Tang, 17 and Cindy Draycott, Operations Director Diagnostic Services & Clinical Support. )

President's Corner - Board Retreat

An organization is only as strong as its weakest link, or so the old adage goes. If this is the case, York Central Hospital Foundation’s future has never looked stronger or brighter.

Recently, we hosted a Board Retreat in the Berwick Family Auditorium. The event’s title was “Becoming a High Performance Board” and focused on how to improve upon past successes while obtaining future goals.

The evening opened with a presentation from York Central Hospital President & CEO Altaf Stationwala about the future of health care in Southwest York Region.

Board Members then enjoyed a presentation focusing on fundraising trends as well as comparables for local organizations. A discussion was initiated about moving forward as a collective, accountable group and how each Board Member can become increasingly involved in the Foundation.

The questions raised by Board Members were thought-provoking and their feedback will be invaluable in helping us reach our goals both now and in the future.

Having an engaged and dedicated Board of Directors is crucial to our success. As members of our growing community, you can rest assured each and every Board Member is committed to raising funds for medical technology that will improve health care for you and your family.

The retreat renewed my optimism and belief for the future, and I hope it did the same for you. With your support and our Board of Directors committed to achieving our goals, we’re well on our way to helping York Central Hospital “become the finest community hospital in Canada.”

Wishing you the best of health,

Bill Leacy

President & CEO

Keeping Your Philanthropic Resolution

With January over, statistics show a large number of us will have broken the New Year’s resolutions we set for ourselves.

Was your New Years resolution to be more active, or eat healthier? Perhaps it involves giving back to others. According to Time Magazine, philanthropy is one of the top 10 resolutions - and also one of the ten 10 most broken. 

It’s not too late to get back on track!

Investing in your community hospital is one of the most important and rewarding decisions you can make. You’ll be helping to secure the future of our health care system, and most importantly, assisting those in the community right now who need our services.

Each year, more than 80,000 visits are logged in our Emergency Department. Countless more are admitted to other departments for various medical issues.

These patients may be your family members, your friends, your neighbours, your coworkers or perhaps even you.

It’s often said the most fulfilling thing in life is to give back, so why not start with your own community hospital?

Becoming a monthly donor is a simple and effective way to give back to York Central. Your donations can be designated to one of our priority projects, or an area of your choice such as oncology, palliative care or the emergency department.

Getting started is easy and once you’ve signed up, you can feel good knowing you’re improving healthcare in our community. Of course, crossing a resolution off your list as “complete” instead of “forgotten” is an added bonus!

Log onto our website or email me to find out how you can become one of our monthly donors today.

Remember, small, monthly gifts add up to a big change!

Sincerely yours,

Alyshia

Stewardship & Communications Coordinator