PECMH Legacy Society inducts charter members

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation launched its new Cornerstone Legacy Society with the induction of 19 people who have made estate gifts to the  Foundation through provisions in their will, life insurance, RRSP/RRIF or other estate plan.

“Although the program is new, legacy giving in support of the hospital is not,” said Hazel Lloyst, interim director of development. “The hospital and Foundation have received many estate gifts over the past nine decades.  The first gift was from the estate of Sarah Mietta Walt in 1914.  She bequeathed $2,000 toward the cost of a hospital, stating that construction had to start before 1918, and it did.  An aged and heavily bronzed plaque in the entrance to the current hospital bears the name of some 19 bequests received in earlier times and estate gifts continue to this day.”

In a garden ceremony, the charter members were presented with specially designed lapel pins. The first to be pinned was 92-year-old, Marion Smith, a long time donor, volunteer and avid supporter of the County’s hospital.

Barbara McConnell, a resident of Milford, spoke about why she and her husband, Errol Weaver, have made a bequest in their estate plans.

“When we decided more than 10 years ago to make Prince Edward County our home, the proximity and reputation of the hospital was an important consideration. It’s comforting to know that a well-equipped and staffed hospital is close by when you need it. We feel that if we expect a thriving community hospital to be there for us, we should do what we can to support it now and into the future,” she said.

Members of the Cornerstone Legacy Society will be invited to an annual reception and are to be kept informed future events and plans for PECMH. Their names will be recognized on an honour roll. Anyone who has made a provision for PECMH in their estate planning is eligible to become a member.

“The funds received from estate gifts form the cornerstone of our fundraising efforts and we are extremely grateful for this tremendous support,” said Lloyst. “We have put this society in place to express our sincere appreciation to our donors while they are still living.  When donors make us aware of their gift intentions, it allows us the opportunity to not only honour and recognize them but also provide them with the assurance and peace of mind that their gift will be used as intended.”

“Planned giving donors provide the solid foundation so critical for continued success and prosperity for the hospital foundation,” said Leo Finnegan, foundation president. “Today is a great day as we launch a new program that will help ensure this success well into the future because people cared enough to step up to the plate and pick up the challenge.  It is said that heroes are not giant statutes framed against a red sky.  They are people who said, ‘This is my community and it’s my responsibility to make it better.’ ”

Charter members are: Marion Smith, Leo and Maureen Finnegan, Cline and Linda Pierson, Alan and Sue Law, Fran Donaldson, Monica Alyea, Lillian Duffy, Lanny and Catharine Huff, John and Faye Smith, Barbara McConnell and Errol Weaver, Grahem and Elayne Meharg and Hazel Lloyst.

“We have a unique group of philanthropists who will leave an enduring legacy by acting not for today, but for tomorrow,” said Finnegan. “It was Robert Lewis Stevenson who said, ‘Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant’.  Please know that the gift you have put in place today will be the seed that will benefit future generations served by the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital.”

The ceremony was held in Amelia’s Garden, hosted by Dr. Norah Connell, who served as the hospital’s Chief of Medical Staff in 1995 and Dr. Chris Rogers, veterinarian, and co-owner of The Waring House.

For more information about the PECMH Foundation’s Legacy Society or estate planning, please call the Foundation office at 613-476-1008 ext. 4503 or visit www.pecmhf.ca The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization whose mission is to raise money to advance health care for the people of Prince Edward County.