Gail La Chapelle was a nurse in the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Emergency Department, a mother of four, wife, student, and champion of fundraising efforts to support cancer research and treatment. Gail returned to school at the age of 32 to get her RPN designation and kept on taking courses while working, parenting four children, and eventually fighting pancreatic cancer. She received her Registered Nurses’ designation just months before losing her battle with cancer in September 2006.
In her memory, her husband Gerard, family, and friends turned her passion for family, learning, and her chosen profession – nursing – into a legacy they have shared with the GBGH community. “The Family and Friends of Gail La Chapelle Education Fund” is committed to investing in the future of nursing at GBGH. Each year, up to $6,000 is awarded to nurses to help with their financial costs of education ($5,000 in education grants and a $1,000 bursary).
The Bursary provides $1,000 in funding for RNs & RPNs advancing in their senior year of Nursing or pursuing a Masters. The Education Grant provides financial assistance for courses including palliative care, trauma nursing, advanced cardiac life support, perioperative nursing, critical care nursing and wound care. This year’s recipients received a total of $5,425 toward continuing their education and growing their skills.
Congratulations to (from left in photo): Jaimie Clarke, Alannah Eberschlag, Vannessa Stacey, Sarah Macmurchy, Sean Tackaberry, Valerie Quesnelle and (not in photo) Alanna Bouffard, Erika Weber & Destiney Benson.