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April 2019

Welcome!

By News

We are delighted to announce that as of May 1, Janice Krall will be joining the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation team as the Director, Major Gifts and Donor Relations.

Janice is a people first leader known for building relationships.  She has a combined 20 plus years’ progressive leadership experience in corporate, a national non-profit, higher education and community volunteering. She holds a certificate in Community Leadership though VIU and has served on several boards and community tables throughout her diverse career.

Janice comes to the Hospital Foundation from Vancouver Island University where she worked in the Advancement & Alumni Relations office. Previous to this she was the Area Manager with the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada where she successfully led all business development & operations for Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands & Powell River. In addition, her work with volunteers and donors has earned local, provincial and national recognition.

Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Janice is passionate about giving back to her community. She is Past President and mentor within her service club Zonta, which supports and empowers women, children and families. Janice is also an animal lover and supporter of the SPCA.

Janice is excited to contribute to the strengthening of the health and well being of individuals and families in our community.

Your Impact

By Thank You!

Throughout the year, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation provides funding for a wide variety of equipment and patient comfort items for NRGH, Oceanside Health Centre in Parksville and three care facilities.

With the generous support of individual, corporate and community donors, here are some of the items the Hospital Foundation has been able to fund. Click on the linked items below to learn more and visit our news feed or our Facebook page regularly for more updates as they happen.

The Hospital Foundation also funds continuing education so medical staff have access to the latest knowledge and techniques to improve patient care. Recently funded courses:

Top Photo: RN’s in the Advanced Cardiac course

Top Left: Dr.Nataranjan with an Echocardiograph Ultrasound Unit

Middle Left: O.R. Teaching Mannequin

Bottom Left: RN’s Laura Miskulin & Sheri Shanahan with the new NICU Washer and Dryer

Joan Ryan Retires

By Congratulations!

Congratulations to Joan Ryan on her retirement!

Thirty years after first volunteering with Lifeline, Joan is leaving a legacy of hard work, dedication and success. Joan was instrumental in the growth of Lifeline and over the years she grew with it; going from Coordinator to Manager to Executive Director and, most recently as she neared her retirement, to Director of Special Projects.

But it wasn’t just about expanding Lifeline services. For Joan it was also about the people. When asked what she will miss most about working at Lifeline, Joan stated, “the people and the impact we have on the lives of our clients.” Her favourite memories also reflect her joy of working with people. Many of them center around the annual client appreciation events where they are able to meet Lifeline clients and hear stories first hand about how valuable the program is to them.

In the three decades that Joan was at Lifeline she has had the pleasure of working with many incredible people. What asked if any in particular stand out, she said, “The first to come to mind are Ellen and Jean. We often travelled together to conferences and, when possible, took some vacation time to see the sights before returning home.”

Joan enjoyed working in a challenging environment, learning through professional development and integrating new technologies to better serve clients and run the program. She was also a mentor to a number of staff and volunteers including interns from the Vancouver Island University MBA program who helped Lifeline reach their goals.

Understandably, the one thing Joan said she doesn’t miss is getting up in the morning! She can now pursue her other interests on her own schedule including spending more time in her garden, continuing to help others with the skills she has learned as a trainer and reading more.

Between Rotary, of which she is a longstanding member, her hobbies and volunteering, Joan has a busy retirement ahead of her. And for those who know her, this is the perfect kind of retirement for Joan; a people person who loves to give back to her community.

Photo Above: Joan Ryan

Photo Below: Joan Ryan and Tammy Paton, Executive Director, Lifeline

Donations for Young & Old

By Thank You!

Thank you to the Upper Island Power Pioneers for their generous donation of $1,000 for the NICU along with handmade quilts, slippers and hats that will provide much comfort for the seniors residing at Dufferin Place.

Photo: Lois Earle, Janice Perrino, CEO, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation, Janet Harms, Tove Gahr, Jim Gahr & Sharon Bickle

Donation is Music to Our Ears

By Thank You!

Thank you to the Curling Club House Band for their $600 donation! The funds were raised at a recent curling bonspiel they performed at. They generously donated their performance fee as well as collected contributions from attendees. The funds will support the campaign to build a new procedural suite for the Endoscopy Department.

Photo: Dave & Sharon Wright with Janice Perrino, CEO, Hospital Foundation

Band Photo: Dave & Sharon Wright, Mary Ellen Konyer, Dwain Black, and Bob Franklin

Lynn Taniguchi Retires

By Congratulations!

Congratulations to Lynn Taniguchi on her retirement! Lynn first started working with the Hospital Foundation in November 1999 and was an important member of the team until her last day in the office.

As the Development Assistant, so much of Lynn’s work was behind the scenes but it was integral to everything we do at the Foundation. Lynn took great pride in her work and as she put it: “To come into work, sit down and get at it was how I rolled. I had a job to do and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it.” She had the ability to tune out everything around her in our busy, and often noisy, office and focus on what needed to get done. She indicated that sometimes she was so focused though, it caused a few funny moments with her colleagues.

Over the years, Lynn had the pleasure of working with many people and she said that “to be able to learn and grow because of certain people and knowing they had your interests at heart is something she will not forget.”

When asked if she thought she would be with the Foundation for 20 years, she replied that she had previously been with Hyatt Hotels for 18 years so, in some ways, is a creature of habit. Although she won’t miss getting up at 5:30 am each day, she said she will miss the routine and daily interaction with her co-workers, many of whom who stand out in her mind. She joked that some days “I almost have to talk to myself to use my voice.”

Not one to plan things too far in advance, Lynn is taking retirement day by day and enjoying the freedom to take things as they come. She will be dearly missed but we wish her all the best for this exciting next chapter of her life!

Photo: Rebecca Taylor, Nancy Scott, Sue Ryan, Lynn Taniguchi, Janice Perrino, Moira Jenkins and Tammy Paton