.jpg)
The scene on Monday was about so much more than numbers.
On October 7th, representatives from local organizations gathered for an especially moving fall cheque presentation with Morden Community Thrift Shop. $211,000 went into the hands of 15 local non-profit organizations. The amount was great, but the appreciation might have been even greater.
Fundamental volunteers
One of the angles that enhanced emotions was the emphasis on the role of volunteering in Morden Community Thrift Shop’s mission.
“I did a little bit of math,” says Kent Noel, the president of Morden Community Thrift. “It's 19,200 hours a year approximately [that] the volunteers put in at this shop to make a day like this possible, whether it's intake, repairing, cleaning, pricing — from the back door out the front door, it's a lot of work.”
One volunteer, Nettie Berg, has been working in the thrift shop for fifty years. Her dedication, which is a part of what enables the thrift shop to pour so much support into the community, was acknowledged at the event.
“We had a special presentation,” says Noel. “It's an honour to be able to work alongside her and to be able to do this for her.”
Support where it’s really needed
As for the cheque presentation, the Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC) Foundation and Menzies Medical Centre received the largest grants of the day. They were each given $45,000.
“This is going towards a project that the community brought to us,” says Shannon Samatte-Folkett, executive director of BTHC Foundation. “It will [fund] ten new cancer care chairs that are heated, keeping our patients comfortable and warm through difficult times.”
For Samatte-Folkett, the donation strikes a personal chord.
“I'm a little bit emotional about this. Part of my job is working with leadership to evaluate different programs and projects in the hospital, and this one was brought to me from an employee, but also a friend,” she says. “Her daughter is going through something that I can't fathom — our children are the same age, so this one really hit me hard. I had no trouble applying for this project and the fact that the Morden Community Thrift Shop approved it so quickly speaks volumes, and I really don't know how to properly thank them, but thank you.”
Samatte-Folkett is referring to Tara Bennett, who is the manager of the chemotherapy and medical unit at BTHC. More importantly, she is also the mother of Emily Bennett, a young woman who was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma at the end of August.
“We were in Winnipeg for about a week in the Health Sciences Centre, . . . and during that time she had a suite where there was a chemotherapy chair that actually had heat in it, and instead of focusing on the fact that she had just been diagnosed with cancer, she wanted to make a positive impact on her community, and we thought this would be a way to do that,” she says. “[We] came together with a plan to propose that Boundary Trails get heated chemotherapy seats so that [patients] can also have elevated comfort, whether they're there for 30 minutes for a dressing change, or five hours for chemotherapy treatments.”
Related stories:
- Winkler's Emily Bennett ends childhood with cancer diagnosis
- Two new physicians to Menzies Medical Centre offer a glimmer of hope
Bennett says that for years to come, the chairs will make a large impact on at least 200 patients per month. For Emily Bennett, it’s overwhelming to see her dream take root so quickly.
“I don't have the words to describe it really,” she says. “All I could think of was, ‘how can I make this positive?’ so being able to impact hundreds of people in their treatment experiences is so incredibly gratifying.”
Easing the burden
For Nicole Walske, executive director of Menzies Medical Centre, amid difficult times for a strained healthcare system, the significant grant is especially meaningful. The funds will go toward recruitment and IT improvements.
“$45,000 is a return of service for a physician to stay with us for three years, so if we can find a body, now we have the gift,” she says. “We know that we have the support of the thrift shop, which is so touching. They as volunteers work so very hard, and they want our medical system to be better, and we feel broken that we can make it better quick enough. $45,000 is a huge gift, and we will be sure to respect it and put it to the best use that we can in our current system.”
Walske says that Morden Community Thrift has been a supporter of the Menzies Medical Centre Community Board for many years now.
“[The thrift shop] has given a total of over $500,000 to our Community Board to support recruitment, equipment, [and] the facility — they continue to give,” she says.
For Noel, the emotional responses to the donations are proof that the funds are going to the right place.
“That just lets us know how much it's really needed,” he says. “We're here for the community and . . . we're glad we're here to help.”
The complete list
The process for the grants occurs through Morden Community Thrift Shop’s board. Applications are received from local non-profit organizations, and then the selection of grant recipients begins.
See the full list of recipients below for this October’s cheque presentation:
S.T.A.R.S - $25,000 for financial assistance.
Morden Police Service - $15,000 for service equipment.
500 Stephen Street - $15,000 for building operations.
Many Hands - $12,000 to assist with food costs.
Morden Community Handivan - $10,000 for assistance in purchasing a new van.
Morden Area Foundation - $10,000 for healthcare bursaries.
Morden Fire & Rescue - $10,000 for a breathing apparatus.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley - $5,000 for mentorship programs.
South Central Regional Library - $5,000 for assistance with various improvements.
Morden Family Resource Centre - $5,000 for improvement costs.
Morden Minor Soccer Association - $5,000 for financial assistance.
Small Wonders Nursery - $2,000 for financial assistance.
Morden Winterfest - $2,000 for assistance with transportation costs.
~With files from Robyn Wiebe~
