When Community Comes Together, Miracles Happen
December 3rd, 2024, may seem like ages ago, but we at the Foundation remember it vividly as it was such an exciting day. This was our third Giving Tuesday, and we had set an ambitious goal to raise $300,000 to fund four Giraffe Omnibed Legacy incubators. It was an amazing day with an incredible outpouring of donor support, often from unexpected places. By the middle of the afternoon, we had met our initial goal when a donor called, wanting to fund a full incubator for $75,000. I asked him if he would like to be our second match donor and help us fund the other items on the Maternity Ward’s Christmas list, and he said yes. So today, I’m thrilled to share an exciting update from a very special campaign.
Thanks to that generous spirit—and the collective efforts of 325 individual and organizational donors—Giving Tuesday 2024 became our biggest one-day fundraiser yet, bringing in over $505,000. That generosity made it possible to purchase all six Giraffe Omnibed Legacy incubators the Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) needed, a specialized transport stretcher, and a fetal monitor for the Perinatal Unit at NRGH; as of last week, all of the new equipment has officially arrived and is already making a difference for our tiniest and most vulnerable patients and their families. This milestone was powered not only by donations but also by the heartwarming viral success of our social media video featuring one of our own NICU nurses.
Thank you to everyone who stepped up for Giving Tuesday and earlier in the year when donors at the Soirée by the Sea funded all nine new birthing beds for the Maternity Ward, which have already had a lot of use. Your support is helping deliver the highest level of care to newborns and families right here in our community.
Warmly,
Barney Ellis-Perry CEO, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation
