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On Tuesday, December 3rd, the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Foundation launched a GivingTuesday campaign to purchase 50 patient slings ($400 each). These slings help patients get out of bed to regain their independence and mobility after a life-altering illness or long episode of critical care.

Thanks to 64 individual donors, and a matching gift of $10,000 from Nick & Marina Boudouris and Family (owners of OPA Catering, the World Famous Dock Lunch and operators of Restaurant Sainte-Marie), a total of $26,500 was raised in 24 hours.

“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our community,” says Nicole Kraftscik, executive director, GBGH Foundation. “These slings are so important for patients at GBGH, and we are grateful that so many people chose to positively impact local healthcare through this campaign.”

Slings are an essential piece of every day equipment used throughout the hospital. They assist a recovering patient out of bed to take a bath or shower, move into a wheelchair so they can become mobile again, or help a stroke patient begin to take the first steps toward recovery.

“Although I still cannot walk after my accident, the ceiling lift in my room helps me get out of bed, which is great,” says Bradley Thayer, rehab patient at GBGH.  “Getting out and talking to people, having lunch with them, was like the first step in getting to go home.”

Patient slings are currently in use throughout the hospital, but many are worn out and there aren’t always the appropriate size available when required.  Adding 50 new patient slings means all patients requiring a lift out of bed will now have access to this type of freedom and mobility.

“It can be extremely frustrating for a patient, after having a life changing illness, to not be able to get out of bed,” says Santina Muriella, manager, Rehab, CCC, Palliative and Allied Services for GBGH.  “Having the appropriate equipment is very important for staff to help patients in their recovery journey. It is our hope to standardize the type of slings we use for our patients, upgrade to a superior product and create a better experience for all of our patients.”

While GivingTuesday is now over, those interested in supporting other critical needs at GBGH can make a gift to the GBGH Foundation holiday campaign.  More information can be found by clicking here.



GBGH Foundation raising funds for Patient Slings for GivingTuesday

Global Day of Giving Takes Place this Year on December 3rd.

The Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Foundation is raising funds for Patient Slings this GivingTuesday – a global movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Black Friday. Just as Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season, GivingTuesday is the “unofficial” opening day of the giving season.

In honour of this international day of giving, the GBGH Foundation is asking the community to help purchase 50 urgently needed slings ($400 each) to help patients at GBGH regain their independence and mobility.

Slings can be used for many purposes – to help a recovering patient out of bed so they can take a bath or shower for the first time after a long period of critical care or hospitalization, to move a patient with a broken hip into a wheelchair so they can become mobile again, or to help a stroke patient begin to take the first steps towards recovery.

To help the Foundation achieve their goal of purchasing 50 new patient slings, Nick and Marina Boudouris and family have offered to match all donations on GivingTuesday, up to a total of $10,000. That means for every $200 donated, a sling can be purchased for patients at GBGH.

“The hospital is so important in our community.  We are happy to help give patients some independence and dignity, by helping to purchase these slings,” says Nick Boudouris, owner of OPA Catering, the World Famous Dock Lunch and operator of Restaurant Sainte-Marie.  “I challenge all of our local businesses to join me in supporting this campaign – I’ll match you dollar-for-dollar until we buy all the slings the hospital needs.”

Businesses, media and individuals can get involved by joining the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, sharing our stories and posts on social media, and making a donation on Tuesday, December 3rd.

 

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Jeff Holloway, Director

Jeff works at RBC Dominion Securities in Midland and joined RBC Wealth Management in 2014. In his current role, Jeff provides wealth management solutions to business owners, executives, professionals, and retirees.

Prior to working at RBC, Jeff was a partner at a leadership consulting firm and was a vice president at a Fortune 500 consulting company. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) while working for a multinational audit, tax, and consulting firm, he was the Controller at the National Hockey League Players’ Association.

Jeff was born in Kitchener-Waterloo and spent most of his childhood living in Owen Sound.  He moved to the Midland area full-time in 2019. He graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honors degree in Mathematics (Computer Science). Jeff also holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation and the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation.

Jeff is very supportive of many worthwhile causes in our local community. Currently, he is the Treasurer for the Quest Art School and Gallery in Midland.