Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation reflects on successful events during 23rd annual general meeting
A loss on the investment line of their financial statement had a negative impact on an otherwise successful year by the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation.
A financial report presented at the Foundation’s 23rd annual general meeting on April 20 showed an unrealized loss on investments of $471,699, which took some of the lustre off a year where the Foundation had strong support at their fundraisers.
“It was a very successful year. I don’t want to say that it was the best year we’ve had, but it was close to that. It won’t look that way on the financial statements because of the endowments that we have sometimes. So sometimes you have to sift through all that financial information to figure out exactly what went on, but it was a very good year,” explained
Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation Board Chair Helen Arnold.
“We can already see those investments recovering. It’s not money that was ear tagged for anything so we have time to recover the loss on investment. We’re concerned about it, but watching it, and listening to our advisors and staying the course.”
The revenue side of the financial statement showed a drop in donations from just over $1 million in 2021 to $104,615 this past year. However that decrease simply reflects an extraordinary year for bequeaths. In late 2021 the Donna and Steve Kraus Estate made a $450,000 donation, the second largest bequeath in Foundation history, and when combined with another sizeable estate contribution that helped push the donation total to over $1 million.
Arnold pointed to a series of successful events which helped generated $596,360 this past year. However a pair stood out in her mind.
The newly renamed Darren Mcclelland Memorial Golf Classic was hosted on June 3, with large support requiring the day to be hosted at both the Elmwood and Chinook Golf Courses.
“It was beyond any of our expectations, where we filled up two golf courses, very full by the way, and it was a huge success. And it was probably more importantly a really feel good event. It was well received by everybody. The participation was great.”
She also recognized the success of the 2022 edition of the Pharmasave Radiothon for Healthcare, which generated $205,000, marking the third year in a row they surpassed their fundraising target. Funds from the Radiothon were utilized to purchase a new blood analyzer along with PICC Line Ultrasound technology which will allow Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter patients to now be treated in Swift Current.
Other highlight purchase from the past year included a Digital Cell Imaging Machine for $27,859, four Mental Health Ward beds for $28,864, plus a new $30,000 fetal monitor.
As part of their strategy for 2023, the Foundation will expand upon an initiative to reach out to rural communities across the Southwest.
“Last year was doing visits to those rural communities and making more of an effort to reach out to those communities and try and help them with their maybe smaller-scale fund-raising as well. Making sure that some our focus remains with the outlying communities and not just totally centred in Swift Current. Most of our fund-raising events happen in Swift Current, and we’d like to do some of them in some of those rural communities as well,” Arnold said.
It was also announced at last Thursday’s annual meeting that Jim Dekowny resigned from his position as Executive Director of the Foundation on March 29, and his resignation was accepted by the board.
Dekowny had started at the Foundation as Major Gifts/development Officer in December 2013, and took over the helm of the Foundation on January 1, 2020.
The Foundation will be advertising the job within the next week or two in order to find a new Executive Director.