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A record breaking number of SMILES!

From left: Dr. Vikram Ralhan, chief of staff, GBGH; Nicole Kraftscik, executive director, GBGH Foundation; Joanne Smith, Sid Beelen, Marisa Collee and Kim Trude, Tim Hortons; Tyler Pilon, manager of Intensive Care, Surgical Services & Respiratory Therapy, GBGH; Janet Trude, Tim Hortons; Christine Baguley, philanthropy officer, GBGH Foundation; Catherine Johnson, development coordinator, GBGH Foundation.

For one week – from September 13-20 – our local Tim Hortons restaurants in Midland, Penetanguishene, Waubaushene and Port Severn sold Smile Cookies with 100% of the funds collected being donated to Georgian Bay General Hospital.

Thanks to the passion and dedication that our local restaurant owners – Kim Trude & Joanne Smith – and their team members showed surrounding the campaign, plus incredible community support, the results this year surpassed any in recent history.  $45,488 was presented to the GBGH Foundation on October 15, designated to help the hospital purchase three new Telemetry Packs for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“Telemetry packs are portable heart monitors, used in the ICU to continually monitor and record a patient’s heart rate and rhythm,” says Tyler Pilon, manager of Intensive Care and Respiratory Therapy, GBGH. “For patients recovering from heart attack, stroke or other trauma, consistent monitoring of heart function enables the medical team to provide the best possible care.”

The local Tim Hortons restaurants have generously supported Georgian Bay General Hospital during previous Smile Cookie campaigns, with total giving of more than $307,000!

“We are so grateful to Joanne & Kim, and all of their team members, for the incredible impact they are having on patient care at GBGH,” says Nicole Kraftscik, executive director, GBGH Foundation.  “The whole community rallies around the hospital during Smile Cookie week, and the results are tremendous; 45,488 Smile Cookies means 3 new Telemetry packs for GBGH this year!”

“We were absolutely blown away by the generosity of Canadians for our annual Smile Cookie campaign,” says Tim Hortons Chief Marketing Officer Hope Bagozzi.

SEGBAY Golf Tournament a Great Success!

The Southeast Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce (SEGBAY), in partnership with Bell Media’s Pure Country 106 and 104.1 The Dock, hosted its 7^th Annual Golf Tournament on September 15, 2020.  The tournament raised a total of $26,270 – with $17,570 being dedicated to help fund the critical equipment purchased to help Georgian Bay General Hospital respond to COVID-19, and $8,700 dedicated to the Wendat Seniors’ Residence in Penetanguishene.  In the past 7 years, we are proud to have raised over $229,000 for these important community establishments.

With a chilly start to the morning, the day began with 108 golfers teeing off at assigned tee times at Oak Bay Golf Club in Port Severn.  While maintaining proper social distancing and COVID-19 protocols, the day went off without a hitch and the golfers enjoyed the spectacular views of Georgian Bay and the challenges of the course.

Fred Wareing, Chair of the Golf Tournament Committee, stated: “We are so pleased to have been able to hold this tournament during these uncertain times. The committee is so thankful to Oak Bay Golf Club for seeing that every safety measure was in place to keep our players, volunteers and staff safe throughout the day.  It is truly remarkable to see the generosity of the Sponsors and Golfers who support our tournament each year.  From the beautiful golf course at Oak Bay, the incredible dinner by Chef Luigi, and the online auction and raffle, I feel that the golfers really got great value for their sponsorship dollar. Thank you to all for continuing to support the important work at Georgian Bay General Hospital and Wendat.”

Photos from the day, prize winners, as well as a list of our many sponsors and volunteers is listed at www.segbay.ca, as well as the SEGBAY Facebook page.