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Two gifts – one big impact for the County’s hospital

At Beatty Seeds in Bloomfield, from left, are: Linda and Tim Beatty; Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation; Nancy Parks, Back the Build Campaign Co-chairperson; Peter Finnegan, a director on the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area Board and Yu Jier Kou, grants administrator for the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area.

The heartwarming legacy of five sisters, and a family from Bloomfield, continues to benefit those living in, or visiting Prince Edward County.

The Stark Family Fund, administered through the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, presented the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) with a grant of $50,000 to be used to purchase an upgrade to the cardiac monitoring system for use in both the emergency department and inpatient unit at the  County’s hospital.

“The impact of not having this essential equipment means our medical team would not be able to care for patients with suspected or diagnosed cardiac conditions, and all of these patients would have to go to Belleville for care,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “This vital piece of equipment will transition to the new hospital once opened in 2027.”

“PECMHF and the Back the Build Campaign Cabinet are extremely grateful for the ongoing support we have received from the Stark Family Fund over the past 15 years,” added Coull. “In that time, the foundation has been the recipient of eight grants totalling more than $135,000 from the Stark Family Fund.

In 2002, the Stark Family Fund was created at the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area with a $1.2 million gift from the last two surviving members of the Stark family: Ival and Ruth. The Stark family included five sisters: Leata, Keitha, Sylvia, Ival and Ruth; who were lifelong residents of Bloomfield. Without any heirs, the family decided to establish a permanent endowment fund from the accumulated estates of the five sisters and their spouses, to support the needs of the local community.

Through the Stark Family Fund, the family’s strong sense of civic responsibility continues to sustain worthy projects and causes in their beloved community.

Tim and Linda Beatty and their sons, Kyle and Ryan, sit on the grant selection committee to help oversee donations. Tim grew up living next door to the Stark sisters. He says the entire family feels blessed to have known them, and for their role in helping to administer grants each year.

As a way of giving back, the Beatty family representing Beatty Seeds, County Farm Centre and Greer’s Propane, have also decided to support the Back the Build Campaign for the new hospital in Prince Edward County by coming forward with a gift of $50,000.

These gifts will be recognized in the new hospital with one room named in honour of the Stark sisters and a second room named in honour of the Beatty family.

“The Stark sisters were kind, quiet and giving,” said Tim Beatty. “It was their wish to see County residents benefit from their estate, particularly in the educational, health and cultural fields. They would be honoured to know the impact of their giving will benefit patients in our current hospital as well as continue to provide care in the new hospital, once opened. Through their hard work, savings and vision for the future, the Stark sisters have left an amazing legacy to our community.”

Nancy Parks, Back the Build campaign co-chair, thanks the Stark family for their foresight in creating this community fund, which has contributed to such important causes in Prince Edward County.

“And I would like to recognize the Beatty family – Tim, Linda, Kyle, Ryan and Jill – as well as the selection committee, for helping to build on the strengths and capabilities of our community hospital. Thanks to the generosity of the Stark Family Fund, the process of monitoring cardiac patients will be even safer for our patients and thanks to the Beatty family, we are one step closer to realizing our dream of building a new hospital in the County.

Peter Finnegan, director and chairperson of the fundraising committee on the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area board, notes the The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area has been proud stewards of the Stark Family Fund for over 20 years.

“We feel good knowing their legacy helps those in the community who require access to hospital care. The entire community has benefitted and will continue to benefit from the forethought and generosity the Stark sisters left through their fund.”

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