On April 12, 2021, the Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) Foundation kicked off their spring appeal, with a goal to raise $65,000 for the GBGH Impact Fund. Dollars raised will help to address the most critical equipment and technology needs at the hospital in 2021. To help achieve the goal, the team at Tom Smith Chevrolet Buick GMC has offered to match donations, up to a total of $25,000.
The appeal features the heartwarming story of Nancy Moreau, a local resident who credits the ICU team at GBGH for saving her life. Nancy’s story, including a video produced by Kevin Haire, can be found here.
“I don’t like to think about it,” says Nancy. “Everything is a bit of a blur, but I know they gave me antibiotics to fight the infection and then later that night I was nodding off and I started to choke, and I couldn’t breathe at all. I saw a white tunnel of light and all of the doctors and nurses were over me and then I finally was able to get air. I later found out that I stopped breathing three times that night and Dr. Tahir and the team in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) fought all night long to save my life multiple times.”
It was Nancy’s story that inspired Steve Jacklin, owner of Tom Smith Chevrolet Buick GMC, to offer the match gift with the hope that it would inspire other individuals and businesses in the community to support the hospital.
“The biggest thing that inspires me to give to the hospital, is that I think we all can relate that we have a Nancy in our lives; whether it’s our aunt, wife, or next-door neighbour,” says Steve Jacklin, owner of Tom Smith Chevrolet Buick GMC. “If we can help any community member through an experience like Nancy’s, by our donation, that’s the best way that we can give back to the most amount of people in our community.”
The appeal is especially critical this year, as the hospital recovers from a year of pandemic response and refocuses on replacing and upgrading the equipment and technology that is so desperately needed across the organization. The newly created Impact Fund offers donors the opportunity to invest in the items which are of the highest priority each year.
“The Impact Fund is where we see the incredible impact our community has on patient care when we all work together,” says Nicole Kraftscik, executive director, GBGH Foundation. “From defibrillators and crash carts, to the implementation of a transformative electronic patient record system, the items purchased from collective giving through the Impact Fund provide an immediate enhancement to care delivery at GBGH.”
Those wishing to make a donation to support the hospital, and have their gift matched by the team at Tom Smith Chevrolet Buick GMC, can click here.
